I read two scriptures from two different books this morning and both mentioned sheep. You may call things like that coincidence. I call it providence.

Psalm 100:3 says “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

What struck me today is that we belong to God. Yes, that sounds obvious. But how often do we think about it. We all crave belonging. Sometimes we try to say we don’t, but science disagrees.

Nearly every basic psychology course teaches Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Psychologist Abraham Maslow studied human behavior and wrote that we must all have certain needs met in order to grow as people. One of these is the need for love and belonging – a sense of connection.

We can feel secure that we belong to God. We are sheep in his pasture and God is the Good Shepherd. He provides for us and protects us from harm. It is good to be one of God’s sheep.

The second scripture I read today was Isaiah 40:10-11. “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

My Bible study notes say these verses demonstrate that God rules with both power and gentleness. I find this so reassuring. We need God to be powerful. We need Him to handle the things that we can’t. But we also need God to be gentle. We need him to carry us through difficulties like a shepherd might carry a small lamb over rough terrain. We need God to tend to our wounds as a shepherd would do for his sheep.

Our society today often describes people as sheep to insult them, insinuating that someone follows another person or group blindly without thinking for themselves. I think the church should turn this on its head. We should make being a sheep in God’s pasture a compliment. It is a privilege. I am grateful to be a sheep, and I am grateful that God is the Good Shepherd.

Blessings to You!
Pastor Cindy