Jehovah Rohi the Lord our Shepherd

Luke 15:3-7
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The shepherd lives with his flock. He protects his sheep from animals and dangers that would harm or prey on them. In fact, he will daily risk his life to take care of his sheep. He guides them by day and sleeps with them at night. They are totally dependent on their shepherd; he provides for all their needs. Sometimes if the shepherd has an unruly lamb, he will break its legs so it cannot run off anymore. Then he will lovingly place the lamb on his shoulders and carry it at all times until it is well. In this way, the lamb experiences intimate love and contact with his shepherd. The lamb learns that it can and should trust the shepherd in every aspect of its life. It must break the shepherd’s heart to have to discipline the lamb in such a way, but with his love he is actively seeking the highest good of the lamb. He can only protect and guide the lamb when it stays in the flock. The lamb faces all kinds of dangers when it wanders away from the shepherd’s care. How much more pain would there be if the lamb wandered off and was attacked by a wolf?

We trust God because we know Him from experience. We are called to trust God because He has demonstrated His power to us through miracles. What greater miracle can we ask for than to see God’s hand on our life over time? When we look back, how can we not trust Him with everything? When we worry, it is because we don’t trust God with the situation or the person. To truly trust Him, we must trust Him with both the problem and the solution, or we don’t really trust Him. There is no room for disclaimers in our walk with the Lord. “We need to be confident, as well as say and believe that we trust God, period!” Not just with lip service, but truly believe it in our heart. He alone is “worthy” of our trust. He is Jehovah Rohi, the Lord our Shepherd.