In the Fold

Reading the word of God can bring much comfort, particularly in difficult situations. Sometimes I depart from my pre-planned reading and meditating and simply thumb my way through familiar and loved sections of the Bible. I highly recommend this approach in times of anxiety and worry. Jesus told us very clearly not to worry, but most of us have a lot of trouble not doing just that…worrying. I don’t know why I continue to worry. After six decades of living, it has become very plain to me that in just about every case the problem is never as bad as initially presented. Indeed we fret about things that often never occur.

This morning I have been enjoying a few verses in John 10: 26-30.

26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
30 "I and My Father are one."

Jesus is speaking to the Jews in the temple and they have just asked Him if He is the Christ. They want to know directly if he is the Messiah they have been waiting for so long. Jesus does not answer them directly but returns to His earlier analogy of Jesus being the good shepherd and we as His followers being the sheep.

Given the intelligence displayed by sheep, the analogy on the surface is not all that complementary. The hard truth is, however, that we do indeed act like sheep. We have a need to follow a leader. We wonder off and get lost. We are helpless without our Good Shepherd. We are under attack from all sides and need His comforting protection. As the prophet Isaiah puts it, “All we like sheep have gone astray”. (Isaiah 53:6)

How do we get to be one of his sheep? This is the part I love. We have only to believe. If we can come to believe in the Good Shepherd all else will fall into place and we can become one of his sheep who hear His voice through the Holy Spirit and are ready to follow Him. But wait, it gets better! He gives us eternal life in heaven. Once you profess to be His and truly believe, you are His forever. No power on this earth and beyond can pull you from His or indeed His Father’s loving grasp. He and the Father are one.

How I love it in the sheep fold!

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