WATCHWORD:
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 King James Version
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:3-7
Meditation:
Much-Afraid and the Shepherd
I am reading, for the second time, the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. It is an allegory of the Shepherd Psalm, where the main character is called Much-Afraid, a member of the family of The Fearings that lived in the Valley of Humiliation. Little Much-Afraid was constantly being terrorized by Cousin Craven Fear, until The Shepherd came and planted the tiny seed of love in Much-Afraid, and, eventually, leads her with her companions, Suffering and Sorrow, to High Places, the Dwelling Place of Love. A thoughtful story, well worth the time and the read.
We were talking about the Shepherd’s Psalm, Psalm 23, just six verses, written by King David, as a young shepherd. As I mentioned in a previous Watchword, you can probably recite it fully as soon as you speak the first verse, The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. From that point on, the rest of the verses just flow, hardly without any encouragement or thought.
Have you ever wondered away, looking for…something, or avoided doing what the Lord was leading you to do? Ever been defeated? Fired from your job? Divorced from the one you loved? Alienated from a beloved friend? Did you ever become Little Much-Afraid, dwelling in fear?
How does a shepherd restore the soul of a sheep, or, for that matter, leads sheep along paths of righteousness? Remember the parable of the Lost Sheep? That sheep wondered off, probably looking for water and didn’t know how to get back. The shepherd found it and restored it to the flock. Restored. Redeemed. Forgiven.
David knew what it meant to be cast down and dejected, had fallen under temptation, was bitter and felt hopeless? Yet, He restored my soul, he led me to overcome all the evils. Paths of righteousness? Those would be following His will, living by His Word, being led by His hand, day by day through our lives.
Then we come to the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. If we walk through that valley, without fear, then we must be walking with our Lord. We know that His rod and staff, His Word and His Spirit within strengthens us and guides us, although our path may be arduous and hard, filled with grief and pain, yet onward we go.
Why ever would He preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Why? My enemies are right there! Because He has no fear of enemies! Oh! You baptize me with oil? Yes, because it protects and comforts you against the parasites of your life and because I love you, and you are mine! Oh!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. The sheep with the Good Shepherd knows with sureness that his is a privileged life. No matter what comes, His graces and mercies will be with Him, for me! We are His, adopted into the Sonship of God. What more do we need? What do we lack? Nothing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
Blessings and Grace from Our Shepherd:
We live in the divine confidence that after every storm there is a rainbow, no matter how long it takes to show up. The lesson learned by Much-Afraid, that transformed her into Grace and Glory. The lesson is faith, the storm will pass, the road will bend, what was unknown will be known. Blessings and Grace through our Lord.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, I believe, but help with my unbelief! Help my head and my heart and my soul to believe in you and trust in you fully, without a doubt, knowing that in you all things are possible. Lord, strengthen my faith! Amen.
