You don’t hear much about shepherds anymore, do you?

There must be some out there, but most of us are unfamiliar with that job. Traditionally, shepherds had two basic jobs – provide for and protect the sheep. Shepherds lead the sheep to green grass and fresh water. And they kept the sheep from wandering and fended off any wolves looking for an easy snack. To be a sheep without a shepherd would be scary business!

You aren’t a sheep, but do you sometimes feel shepherdless? Like there’s no one to guide you and protect you in the world? You may feel that way, but those feelings are far from reality. You don’t just have a run-of-the-mill shepherd to provide for you and protect you. You have the Good Shepherd – Jesus himself!

What makes Jesus the Good Shepherd? He provided you with new life by protecting you from sin and death with his own life!

And if that wasn’t enough, he knows you. Like, really knows you. Even though his flock of Christians is enormous, he knows you just as closely as he and his heavenly Father know each other.

With a Shepherd like that, a Shepherd who has already taken care of your greatest needs, you can be sure that he’ll provide for all your other needs too and continue to protect you from even more fearsome enemies than wolves. So even when you’re feeling sheepish or shepherdless, you can be confident that Jesus, your Good Shepherd, is always there for you.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Family Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for being my Good Shepherd. Thank you for laying down your life for me, and for providing for all my needs. Keep me in your flock all the days of my life, until I get to spend eternity with you. Amen.