The Shepherd's Shepherd

King David was a shepherd at heart and, as king, he shepherded the nation of Israel. In a way, his care for his people was a living picture of God's care for us. 

Asaph, in Psalm 78, wrote of how Israel had been unfaithful to God. They lied to Him, rebelled against Him, grieved Him, and refused to believe Him or obey Him. 

When God disciplined them, they crawled back, begging for forgiveness. "But their heart was not steadfast." They wanted symptom relief, not the cure repentance could bring. 

Despite all they had done, God chose to give Israel a good king, and He gave them David.

"So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skilled hands." Psalm 78:72 nasb

David knew what was important to sheep, and he provided that same care to his people.

Protection.

Provision.

Peace.

Paths of righteousness.

It was a picture of the care God had given to him. 

When I'm overwhelmed with life and the uncertainty of literary pursuits, I try to remember that God offers the same care to me. 

Always vigilant. Always caring. Always prepared to fight off enemies. Always ready with the provision that's needed.

No matter what we face, our God can handle it. He can give us peace in the midst of our trials, victory in our battles, provision in our need. We have only to turn to Him with our whole heart.

Today, let's remember the words of the shepherd boy:

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures:

he leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake. 

Psalm 23:1-3 nasb

God can handle whatever comes our way. He wants to be our shepherd, too, and He will be, if we will follow Him.

_____________________

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Sin That Wrecked a King (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-sin-that-wrecked-king.html)

#theLordismyshepherd #disciple #follow