The Good Shepherd: Devotions Inspired by Psalm 23Sample

The Nature of Our Shepherd 

By Todd Lane 

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?” Matthew 18:12 (NLT) 

The illustration of a shepherd and sheep must be very important to God because the Bible is filled with these references. God clearly wants to show His nature as the Shepherd and our position as His sheep. So, what is His nature as our Shepherd? 

First, the Shepherd’s nature is to pursue! I love to attend the Global Leadership Summit, which Gateway simulcasts every year. One year, Pastor Craig Groeschel from Life.Church gave a leadership talk titled “GETMO,” which is an acronym for Good Enough to Move On. 

It’s a leadership concept that says when the incremental gain you’re trying to achieve doesn’t match the level of effort required to get there, you must realize when it’s good enough to move on. It’s good stewardship to recognize when you’re spending a disproportionate amount of time and energy on something that won’t provide a great return on your investment. 

While that’s definitely a great approach to take with projects, Jesus lets us know in Matthew 18 that a shepherd will spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy pursuing just one. Why? Because when it comes to people, He wants us to know He won’t ever move on! In our society, we may generally accept “one” as a loss and think, Well, we still have ninety-nine. That’s good enough to move on. But when it comes to souls, our Good Shepherd sees the individual beyond the flock. Throughout His time on earth, Jesus declared He was in pursuit of the sick, the blind, the captives, and the oppressed. In fact, He clearly states in Luke 19:10 that His mission is “to seek and to save that which was lost.” The action of our Good Shepherd was a work to redeem all humankind one by one. 

Second, the Shepherd’s nature is to provide! When Psalm 23 declares, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” it’s hard to comprehend. How is it possible to not want? I don’t personally know any shepherds today, but the psalmist David sure understood the job. God inspired David to write many psalms using his own experience as a shepherd. David knew the great personal investment a shepherd makes to care for his sheep, and he provided for all the needs of his flock. As God was giving David the words for Psalm 23, I imagine him chuckling to himself, “Yeah, that’s about right. As the shepherd of my sheep, I take care of everything. These sheep shall not want!” And then, with the weight of that revelation settling on him as he wrote, David realized he is the sheep being cared for by the Good Shepherd. And so he declared, “I shall not want.” 

Third, the Shepherd’s nature is to defend! Am I the only one who pictures a shepherd as a mild-mannered guy in a robe with a staff walking slowly back and forth in a field? I’ve come to realize that is not a very biblical image! When David was making the case to King Saul that he could fight Goliath, he described how he saved his sheep from the mouths of lions and bears and single-handedly killed them both to rescue his sheep. Now that’s my kind of shepherd! The real image of our Shepherd is that of a mighty defender. 

Finally, the Shepherd’s nature is to love! Jesus says in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” I once read a vet manual that said sheep are prey species whose only defense is to flee. As such, sheep’s lives are always at risk. That’s why we, God’s sheep, require a shepherd! Jesus foreshadowed His own sacrificial death when He said, “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). What great love from our Shepherd! 

Do you know today how valuable you are? Jesus left His seat in heaven to redeem you, the one. You are valuable because you are a sheep in His pasture, and there is nothing your Good Shepherd won’t do for you! 

PRAYER 

God, thank You for being my Shepherd and pursuing me. Today, I ask for Your provision in my life. I pray that You would defend me against attacks of the enemy. Help me give You control of my life and find all I need in You. As Your sheep, I want to rest in You, my Shepherd. With You, I know I lack nothing. Thank You for loving me! In Jesus’ name, Amen! 

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION    

• Take a moment to reflect on how God has pursued you.    
• While you study His Word, ask God to reveal more to you about His heart as the Shepherd.    
• Pause to see if you are living with the dependence of a sheep.

Holy Spirit, what are You saying to me today?

MEMORY VERSE

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1