A wandering sheep is a meal ready to be eaten. Separated from the flock, a straying sheep is vulnerable to the attack of wild animals. They also risk falling, rolling over on their backs, and as a result, incapable of getting up. Straying sheep are in danger of getting lost and staying lost until they meet their demise. Apart from Jesus, we are all “straying like sheep”—lost in sin, vulnerable to the Enemy, and caught in spiritual darkness. But that all changes with Jesus!

1 Peter 2:25
For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Our Shepherd gives us everything we need. Protection. Nourishment. Safety. And when we go astray, he searches and finds us. He is our Guardian all the way home.

I recently read of a Sunday School teacher who had her young class memorize Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the familiar passage. Little Tommy was excited about the challenge, but after much practice, he could barely get past the first line. Finally, on the day the children were scheduled to recite the psalm in front of the congregation, Tommy’s nerves got the best of him. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said, “The Lord is my Shepherd…and that’s all I need to know.”

The Lord is our Shepherd. And…really, that’s all we need to know.

Lord Jesus, thank you for being our Shepherd. At the end of the day, that’s all we need to know. In your name, we pray. Amen.