Following the Shepherd

We've been going to Hartman Rocks for our Tuesday nights with LIVE. It is a great location to sit and visit about our travels with God through the desert. Last night began with each of us naturally splitting off either going off on a rock climbing adventure, staying at the cars to change a diaper, or sitting next to the fire ring (as was my first choice). As we sat together listening to what was going on as the others did their things we noticed that the sound is amplified as they were speaking. We couldn't see where they were, but we could hear their voices. As the night came toward the time to get back together and start our nightly lesson everyone gathered in Buddha's Belly, a place surrounded by high cliffs. As we sat a faith lesson by Ray Vander Laan stood out to me.

In the deserts of Israel the Bedouin people find their homes and a place for their flocks. At night several different shepherds gather their flocks together in places like Buddha's Belly to be held and protected. As the night is falling upon them each shepherd speaks softly to her sheep as she leads them into the holding area for the night. She will guide them into the sheep fold along other flocks to spend the night held safely together by the high cliffs. It is in the morning that something awesome happens. Each shepherd goes out some distance and starts calling to her own sheep. They recognize their shepherd's voice and respond to her voice only. They do not just walk blindly out into the day, but are guided by a very familiar voice into their green pastures for the day.

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27.

It is referenced all over the bible that the "Lord is my shepherd" and we are His sheep. If this is true it means that we are to know His voice and follow Him when He calls. We are to trust that He will protect us when the fear of darkness covers over us. We are to trust Him with today's green pastures.

There is a difference between sheep and goats as you watch them following their shepherd. Sheep usually stay very close to their shepherd, following her voice and footsteps, but goats tend to venture out further assuming they know of better grass. How often do I find myself in this exact situation, thinking that I may have a better way and find a little more sustenance if I go a little further up the mountainside to my own green pastures. We do this. It does not mean that we have stopped following our shepherd. We can still hear His voice, for in the desert sound travels far. Often we have gone just far enough that we have lost Him in our vision and this is when we seem to be wandering aimlessly. Haven't you ever done this! I have. Through all of the trials and heartache I have been through, I was always within ear shot of my Shepherd, but I was so far away from the flock that it appeared I was completely separated from everything that had life. It was within my heart cry that I could still hear the shepherd calling out to me. I wanted Him, but had to learn to actually follow His voice.

What part of the flock do we find ourselves in today? Each and every day He is calling out to us. He wants us to listen to His voice. It is in study and a continual self examination that we can look at ourselves and see where we are in the flock. From a distance it can become so easy to get other voices confused and start to follow the wrong voice all the while thinking that we are following the right one. This is why we must stay plugged in. It's not that I am afraid of ever going back and living as I once did, but now the stakes are even greater. I often find myself in the lead with many others following me. I must be sure that the voice I hear is pointing them in the right direction as well. But really we are all leading someone if we really think about it. Each of us within our own lives have someone watching us. We may not be able to tell when we are getting off track, but they may be able to. This is when they are to come in and gently lead us back. The question we must be willing to ask ourselves is: Are we willing to listen?