Do Sheep Ever Worry?

[george747]

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Psalms 23:1

The 23rd Psalm has brought me so much comfort in my Christian walk. Knowing that Abba Father indeed is my Shepherd and that I have nothing to fear is wonderful. Yet, being human I find myself often tempted to worry and fret. 

"Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture." Psalm 100:3. 

I've been thinking about the similarities between the sheep of the four-legged variety and us humans. Like the sheep, I sometimes find myself tempted to graze in unhealthy and hurtful pastures where I get myself into trouble and mischief as I go along. And then after I've erred or gone astray, the Great Sheppard will lovingly extend His Staff and rescue me once again and set me in the safe place of His lush and healthy green pastures. Like the sheep, I am quite stubborn and rascally at times too. 

The sheep surely get frightened, apprehensive and flee in panic when predators come around and threaten them. But I don't think the sheep are worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow or next week or what happened yesterday as I sometimes do. I believe the sheep are also largely unaware of the watchful eye and care of their Shepherd and have no idea of the steps and actions that the Shepherd is taking in the background 24/7 to protect and care for them. I think humans and sheep have this in common. The Lord knows the problems, threats, and dangers that are coming our way even when we don't have a clue about what's really going on, which I think is usually the case.  I'm also oblivious to the myriads of steps the Lord is taking around the clock to protect me and keep me safe. How many times has the Lord sent his angels to minister unto us and intervene on our behalf of which we are unaware?

I'm sure the cause of my worry and fretting is due primarily to a lack of complete trust in my Heavenly Father's love and care for me. I believe the Lord is pleased when we fully trust Him with our lives and everything that pertains to us. If I trusted my heavenly Father more, I'm sure I'd worry less. 

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Our Heavenly Father is so patient with us as we learn to trust Him with each new day.

[Sower]

14 minutes ago, george747 said:

I believe the sheep are also largely unaware of the watchful eye and care of their Shepherd and have no idea of the steps and actions that the Shepherd is taking in the background 24/7 to protect and care for them.

Amen to that George..........

 

John 10:11-18  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. ...  (He did)

[Blood Bought 1953]

 

 

Thanks for the the great post.......lots of wisdom on display

[R. Hartono]

To become a Christian is not a matter of bodily survival, the early church was fed to lions, though they were free to deny their faith and escape death, they choosed to defend the truth even if they must die !

So the "Lord is my shepherd i shall not want" but Jesus told us about the poor St. Lazarus who died in front of the rich man's house, Lazarus has accepted his fate and in fact God entrust this man who owns heaven to the rich people of the world. Lazarus has SERVED GOD'S PURPOSE in his poverty, would you believe it ?

 

[Neighbor]

Hi, From my own perspective I contend that God has not created my thinker so that I may simply park it somewhere and graze on grasses.

To many He has given, through the Holy Spirit, gifts. With those gifts come responsibilities.

Reading the word of God praying upon the word and thinking are all part of what makes God appreciate his creation  man and why  he is so wrath filled at man's trespass and sin against Him. Man went from innocence but not stupidity, to awareness of sin and depravity.

God will turn about who he will from that depravity by the specific call of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit may  as some contend use God's irresistible grace to call, but it seems man does have a worry and a proper worry to consider. Am I saved? Have I really  been turned about to my salvation?  Do I do all things to the glory of God? These I contend are good worries, good things of reassessment and if need be for correction.

I cannot just go back to eating the grasses and forget thinking upon God's mercy and  grace, and what responsibilities have come with receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 I do need worry, for profit will come by the working  of it to good use of the impetus of it toward desiring to be the good bond-servant of Christ Jesus.

[Archangel Thyos]

"do not be anxious" - Jesus

"Perfect love drives out fear"

Also, you have to wonder what the heck he's talking about when he refers to people as sheep.

From my perspective, which is ultimately superior to everyone else's perspective, Jesus is talking to housewives and fishermen in the whole of the new testament. Consider the difference between this context, and the old testament, where Jehova is swallowing hundreds of people whole via earthquakes for being irritating and doubting him. I don't view myself as a sheep. Well maybe I am, because I sit around all day waiting to reproduce, and then I eat my feed (a 50 lb bag of rice) every so often. That's pretty much all I do. *shrug*

[george747]

 

My thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and insights. There are many references to God's people being likened to sheep in the Bible. Here are just a few of them:

"It is written, For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice," Psalms 95:7

"He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep." John 21:16

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" John 10:27.

"As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Romans 8:36

[Neighbor]

Ezekiel 34:1–3 (ESV);  The word of the Lord came to me:  “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?  You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.

 

Ezekiel 34:15–16 (ESV);  I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Moses, Jacob, and David, each started out as shepherds.

 My lord God and personal savior Jesus is the good shepherd of whom was given by His Father all those that are foreknown and predestined to be saved, of whom He loses not a one. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of the flock of sheep, He is also the unblemished Lamb of God that willingly sacrificed on the cross to reconcile all that are to be reconciled, made acceptable in the sight of God the Father. He both partook of the Passover and was the Passover sacrifice.

Praise God for His awesome mercy and grace.

 

[george747]

Hi Neighbor. 

Thank you for sharing these wise thoughts. Very well said.