THE SHEPHERD IS NEARBY
When the little lamb was born, it looked to its mother for nourishment and safety. The mother taught the little lamb how to graze and find food and water. As the lamb grew, it became more and more independent from its mother. Most of it's days were spent with its head down grazing. Rarely, did the little lamb look up. The mother had warned the little lamb of dangers that loomed near the thicket, but the little lamb had never been face-to-face with real danger so the warnings of its mother seemed insignificant. Until one day... The wolf eyed the little lamb from the edge of the thicket. He noticed that the lamb was independent, and therefore vulnerable. As the lamb slowly moved closer and closer to the edge of the thicket with its head down grazing, the wolf planned its attack. Suddenly, the lamb was scooped up and hoisted into the air! Within seconds, the little lamb was in the embrace of the Shepherd, saved from ultimate destruction.
"For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25).
I don't believe the Bible describes humans as sheep because we are brainless. I believe this description is used because we are born ignorant. Our earthly caregivers can nurture us and keep us safe for a season; they can even warn us of looming danger. But in most cases, we keep our head down focused on our immediate needs and wants, often oblivious of the wolf or the Shepherd.
Some ignorance is innocent and that's not a bad thing. It is very sad when children lose their innocence at a young age because they were not protected by their caregivers. In some cases, it is the caregiver who inflicts the pain on the young through direct contact; or second-handedly because they are so consumed with their own pain that the young are left neglected, confused, and exposed to outside influences. In other words, the young take on the pain of the caregivers. This cycle sometimes continues for many generations.
"For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25).
The Shepherd has always been near the sheep. It is the responsibility of the Shepherd to watch over his flock. It is also the responsibility of the sheep to stay near the Shepherd. But what if the little lamb was never told about the Shepherd? Then it would be understandable why the lamb wanders around doing its own thing.
"We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way, and the Lord has laid all our sins on Him" (Isaiah 53:6). The Shepherd and Overseer of our souls saw the problem from heaven. "So they were scattered because there was no shepherd. When they were scattered, they became food for every wild animal" (Ezekiel 34:5). Not only were we scattered, going our own way, but we were constantly in danger of deception because of wolves in sheep's clothing and false shepherds. "The idols speak lies. The fortunetellers see false visions. They speak about false dreams. They give useless comfort. That is why people wander around like sheep; they are troubled because there is no shepherd" (Zech. 10:2).
Something inside of every little lamb remains uneasy and troubled until it finds the Shepherd. Even those who have lost their innocence and have seemingly become hard-hearted have a place deep within them that is troubled. They may not know what it is. They may not even acknowledge it to others, but it is there nonetheless. It is the reason Jesus had so much compassion for the multitudes. He could see their need. "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary {harrassed} and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).
But foreseeing this dilemma, our Heavenly Father sent from heaven the Good Shepherd. "This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will search for my sheep myself, and I will look after them. As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so I will look after my sheep. I will rescue them on a cloudy and gloomy day from every place where they have been scattered" (Ezekiel 34:11-12). One component of mercy is a desire to make things right. When our heads were down, God had mercy. When danger loomed nearby, God had mercy. When we should have been destroyed, God had mercy.
"Like a shepherd He takes care of his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms. He carries them in his arms. He gently helps the sheep and their lambs" (Isaiah 40:11). We didn't know that we were originally the property of the Shepherd and had gone astray. We didn't realize that upon meeting the Shepherd, we were actually returning to Him. Upon receiving this revelation, we shudder at the remembrance of our days before we knew the Shepherd; the danger and destruction that was very near and in some cases, almost took us. But for this reason, He had mercy. For this reason, He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. "I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that have strayed away, bandage those that are injured, and strengthen those that are sick" (Ezekiel 34:16). What a merciful God!
So, little lambs... "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2); the Shepherd is nearby.
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