Our Good Shepherd – May 11, 2022

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
John 10:28

Our Good Shepherd

Sheep are prey animals. They don’t hunt other animals. Other animals hunt them. Bears, wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, and even dogs can attack sheep and try to drag them away from the flock. When that happens, sheep don’t have much they can do besides try to run away. They don’t have sharp teeth or claws that they can use to defend themselves.

That’s why a shepherd is so important. In many ways, the shepherd is the sheep’s most powerful defense. When a predator tries to snatch a sheep, the watchful shepherd will drive the predator off. He will do whatever he can to prevent anyone or anything from snatching even one of his sheep. David, the Old Testament king who was once a shepherd, is a good example. He once said, “When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it” (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

Spiritually, we are sheep. We are the prey. Satan and all his allies are our predators. The Bible says, “The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). When the devil attacks, we are not able to defend ourselves. Spiritually, we are defenseless unless someone comes to our rescue.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has come to our rescue. When Satan was seeking to devour us, Jesus came and fought Satan directly. He willingly put his own life on the line—actually, he willingly laid down his life to rescue us from Satan. Now that Jesus has given his life to keep us from being taken from him, we can be sure that there’s nothing he won’t do to keep us close to him. Satan will still try to snatch us away from Jesus. But he will not succeed. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, holds us tightly in his hand. And no one can snatch us from his hand.

Prayer:
Good Shepherd who laid down your life for me, hold me close to you forever. Amen.