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The Great Shepherd
by Patty Wysong If you're going to be a sheep, you want to make sure you have a not just a good shepherd, but a great shepherd! Sheep aren't the brightest animals on the farm, and they need special care. I mean, what other animal hatches bug eggs in its nose? That's just not a good thing to be doing if you want to breathe, but that happens to sheep. And it's not like they can pick their nose and dig those bugs out--their hooves just don't work like that. So what's a sheep to do? Make sure they're with the greatest of all Shepherds! Back in the days of King David, when Psalm 23 was written, a shepherd would make an oil mixture and put it on the sheep's heads to keep those pesky bugs out of their noses. Maybe that's what David was talking about when he said "You have anointed my head with oil". Maybe he wanted us to know that God would keep pesky bugs away from us so we could breathe. That's a nice thought isn't it? The last verse of Psalm 23 says: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The word that King David used for our word 'follow' means a whole lot more than when a little brother or sister follows you around. They eventually get tired of following you and they'll wander off and do their own thing--but the following King David was talking about is like when a tracking dog is following a scent. They keep their nose trained on the scent and chase after whatever it is they're sniffing out, and they don't quit. That's how God is with us! His goodness and mercy will follow us, pursue us, all the days of our lives. God loves us soooooo much He wants us to be with Him! Have you ever sat someplace and thought, 'Oh, this is soooo comfortable I could sit here forever?' That's exactly how it is when we're with the Great Shepherd. We're content and happy and never want to leave Him or have a different shepherd. So tell me, do you just know Psalm 23 or do you know the Great Shepherd? Is He your shepherd? Patty Wysong is a Christian wife and homeschool mom of 5 who is passionate about wrapping lessons in pretty packages that will point others to God. Blog: http://pattywysong.blogspot.com/ Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |