People of the Pasture

While the shepherd has much to do, the part of the sheep is very simple. It is only to trust and to follow. The shepherd does all the rest. He leads the sheep by the right way. he chooses their paths for them and sees that they are paths where the sheep walk in safety. When he moves the sheep, he goes before them. The sheep have none of the planning to do, none of the decisions to make, none of the forethought or wisdom to exercise; they have absolutely nothing to do but trust themselves entirely to the care of the good shepherd and to follow him wherever he leads. It is very simple. There is nothing complicated in trusting, when the one we are called upon to trust is absolutely trustworthy; and nothing complicated in obedience, when we have perfect confidence in the power we are obeying.

Let us then begin to trust and follow our Shepherd here and now. Let us abandon ourselves to His care and guidance, as a sheep in the care of a shepherd, and trust Him completely.

We are not afraid to follow, for He always leads His sheep into green pastures and besides still waters. No matter that we may seem to be in the middle of a desert, with nothing green about us inwardly or outwardly and we may think we have to journey far before we can get to green pastures. The Good Shepherd can turn the very place we are into green pastures. He has power to make the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose; and He has promised that “in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” (Isa. 35:6b)

“A Shepherd’s Heart” Paul C. Brownlow (p41)

“The great act of faith is when man decides that he is not God.”-O.W.Holmes,Jr.