“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13
One of the basic truths, and blessings, of fellowship with Christ, is the aspect of Him leading the believer. In David’s great Psalm 23, we read: “…He leadeth me beside still waters…He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (v. 2, 3) How essential is it to be led by the Great Shepherd, and how does one follow?
Let us begin our consideration of this subject by looking carefully at the Shepherd, and then the sheep. The true, Divine Shepherd, possesses all the worth and beauty of perfection, as revealed in His love, care, devotion, wisdom, and knowledge. The Lord Jesus calls Himself, the GOOD shepherd. In other words, there is nothing in and of Him that is not GOOD, perfectly good, in His dealings with His sheep. Thus, He is worthy of the sheep’s trust. One of the most important aspects of being led by this Shepherd, is the knowledge that “…He gives His life for the sheep.” He is totally devoted to the sheep to lead, keep, and provide for it. How can this Divine Shepherd possess such commitment, covenant-commitment, to the sheep? How can God, the Almighty God, even care about a lowly sheep which is helpless, and hopeless, without Him? It is because of the aspect of His character called love. God IS love. That love is manifested in His mercy and grace, by revealing Himself to the sheep, for He speaks to them, calling them forth by name, and leading them. How, and can, the sheep “doubt His tender mercy who through life has been my guide?” The Shepherd, so Great and mighty, and yet, so totally committed to the sheep, is worthy to be trusted fully, and forever.
It must be underlined at this point, in considering the Shepherd, that He is no wolf, nor thief, nor deceiver. His purpose in leading the sheep is to give them abundant Life in their walk on this earth. The enemy of the Shepherd, and the sheep, has but one desire, and that is to rob, kill, and to destroy. The Shepherd, in guiding the sheep, has for objective, to communicate to them His blessed Life by the Spirit.
How then is the sheep to follow? How can a sheep, with such flagrant limitations and vulnerabilities, defenseless, and incapable of guiding itself, follow the Shepherd? We begin to answer this question by affirming what has already been said. Jesus Christ is committed to leading His sheep. The first thing He does is to “Call them by name.” There is the individual attention given to each individual sheep. This is illustrated by Jesus’ words to Peter, when he was preoccupied with how the Lord would lead the apostle John: “What is that to thee; Follow Thou Me.” (Jn. 21:22) The calling of every sheep is different, the gifts also. And though the Lord Jesus addresses groups of His followers, His churches, there is that most basic of truths that governs His relationship with His own: He calls them individually by their names. The second thing the Lord does to lead the sheep is to sovereignly lead them out of the sheepfold, or into the wilderness, by going before them. The sheep, like Israel of old, when the Ark of the Covenant, went before the people to lead them, is called to look only and wholly at Jesus. The sheep, according to the writings of Jeremiah do not possess the capacity to guide themselves. “It is not in man that walketh to direct His steps.”(10:23) The sheep which would truly follow the Shepherd knows his helplessness, and thus, looks only to Christ to lead.
From the very beginning of this relationship, there is one thing in His guidance that is perhaps the most crucial feature. The sheep hear His voice. How can this be? Jesus speaks, as He said to the Laodicean church: “If any man hear my voice…” The sheep hears because the Lord gives him an ear to hear, and to discern.
Father, Lead us clearly with Thy certain loving, and confirming peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.