Keeping the Sheep (episode 47)

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,560
Today in this episode of the When You Love a Prodigal podcast, God is promising

2
00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:13,820
to take care of you in every way. Have you found encouragement that God sees

3
00:00:13,820 --> 00:00:20,140
your tears and hears your prayers? This week we will consider two more names of

4
00:00:20,140 --> 00:00:29,260
God and the amazing promises they are to us. Patches, one of my many dogs, was an

5
00:00:29,260 --> 00:00:37,280
Australian Shepherd. She was beautiful and so much fun and truly a shepherd. She

6
00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:42,760
was always trying to get us to go where she wanted us to go. She would even

7
00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:49,240
approach a complete stranger, take his wrist in her mouth, and try to lead him.

8
00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:56,840
This frightened a few people. I learned a little about sheep during my farmer son's

9
00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:03,920
brief stint raising sheep. Sheep had some great positives. They reduced the need to

10
00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:10,760
mow the pasture because they ate the grass down to the bottom. And the variety

11
00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:16,900
that my son and his wife were raising provided much desired wool, high quality

12
00:01:16,900 --> 00:01:25,720
wool. But sheep required a lot of care and they attracted predators. But oh,

13
00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:33,440
those baby lambs. In my favorite picture of our son, he is tenderly holding a

14
00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:40,680
newborn lamb. Helped me to fall in love with sheep. Shepherds, which is a

15
00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:47,240
contraction of sheep herders, have responsibilities to protect, supervise,

16
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:53,680
care for, and discipline their sheep. It is no wonder that God calls himself

17
00:01:53,680 --> 00:02:04,240
Jehovah-Rohi or shepherd. We, his people, his sheep, need lots of protection,

18
00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:13,040
supervision, care, and discipline. Listen as I read through the most popular psalm

19
00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:26,040
of all time. You know the 23rd psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, Jehovah-Rohi. I lack

20
00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:35,280
nothing. Does that just astound you? That the psalmist can say, I lack nothing

21
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:41,400
because the shepherd is providing everything that I need? True for you and

22
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:49,760
me too. The psalm goes on. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me

23
00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:58,920
beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for

24
00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:06,680
his name's sake. Sounds good, doesn't it? In the midst of a wilderness journey.

25
00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:14,880
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil. For you are

26
00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:21,240
with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Any dark valleys in your life

27
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:30,840
lately? Any fear of impending evil? Says you're with me. I can walk through that

28
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:39,680
valley. Says you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You

29
00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:47,640
anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Well, most of us don't want to sit down

30
00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:55,520
with our enemies. Certainly the major enemy is the evil one, but our loved

31
00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:02,520
prodigal can be an enemy sometimes too. Says I'm there. I'm gonna get you ready

32
00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:10,440
for this banquet and I'm gonna fill your cup up so that it's overflowing. Surely

33
00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:18,440
your goodness and mercy, or some verses say goodness and love, will follow me all

34
00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:26,840
the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. What an

35
00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:33,280
incredible picture of what our God, our Shepherd, does for us. There are books

36
00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:39,440
written to help us comprehend all that God is promising us.

37
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:47,280
Goodness and mercy forever. And then the Lord Jesus amplifies it. He says I am the

38
00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:54,240
good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Now that's a

39
00:04:54,240 --> 00:05:00,120
promise. He already did it. He laid down his life for you and me and for our

40
00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:08,200
prodigals. Then Jesus continues, my sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they

41
00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:14,440
follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. And then one of

42
00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:23,560
my very favorite promises, he says no one can snatch them out of my hand. How much

43
00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:27,520
are you sure that the crowd that our prodigal is running with, or the

44
00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:33,280
addictions, or the choices that he's making, will snatch them out of the hands

45
00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:40,080
of the Lord? They may try to escape but he says I'm the good Shepherd. I'm holding

46
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:46,360
none. I've held on to that promise so many times as I have prayed for my

47
00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:54,080
prodigal and for your prodigal. No one will snatch them out of my hand, he says.

48
00:05:54,080 --> 00:06:02,060
But wait, there's another name and another promise that God gives us. When

49
00:06:02,060 --> 00:06:07,560
our drunk son yelled obscenities at me in the front yard in the middle of the

50
00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:14,280
night, turmoil just welled up in me. When the hospital called to say that our son

51
00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:20,160
had been in an accident, a serious accident, worry overwhelmed me till I

52
00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:30,000
knew how he was. When he disappeared for three days, fear engulfed me. Confusion,

53
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:37,280
turmoil, conflict, worry, fear, every one of us experiences these in our day to

54
00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:45,280
day lives. But when you love a prodigal, these become often a way of life. I am a

55
00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:51,560
fan of peace. I don't care for noise and chaos and especially not for conflict. I

56
00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:59,360
am a confirmed conflict avoider. So I am grateful that God has named himself

57
00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:10,000
peace. In the book of Judges we learn of Gideon who was no stranger to chaos and

58
00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:17,400
conflict. The Midianites, very large and powerful group of people, totally

59
00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:23,960
oppressed and impoverished Israelites. God's people lived in constant fear of

60
00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:30,400
them. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, a youth in a very

61
00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:37,880
insignificant family, and called him a mighty warrior. Did Gideon laugh? And then

62
00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:46,360
the angel gave Gideon this unimaginable assignment, you will rescue Israel.

63
00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:53,880
Gideon apparently responded, who me? Pardon me Lord, but don't you know I

64
00:07:53,880 --> 00:08:01,520
can't do that. Who am I? After much conversation, the Lord gave him a sign

65
00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:10,240
to assure him that he could and would do it, rescue Israel. But Gideon was still

66
00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:20,080
afraid and God said, peace, do not be afraid. Gideon received that peace and

67
00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:27,640
then he built an altar to the Lord there and called it, the Lord is peace, Jehovah

68
00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:35,600
shalom. Don't you want peace in your heart? God is the peace that you're

69
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:42,760
seeking. Our Savior confirms this wonderful promise to us, peace I leave

70
00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:50,840
with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not

71
00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:59,360
let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. The Greek word for peace is

72
00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:04,280
very similar in its meaning to the Hebrew word shalom and it's called

73
00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:13,960
Irene. And Jesus also promises in John 16, I have told you these things so that

74
00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:22,040
in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, boy do we know

75
00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:32,240
that. But take heart, I have overcome the world. In this world there's trouble but

76
00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:40,320
I am your peace. And the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2 uses the same Greek word for

77
00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:48,640
peace in this amazing statement. He, Jesus, is our peace. Who has made the two

78
00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:53,920
groups, the Jews and the Gentiles, one and has destroyed the barrier, the

79
00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:59,800
dividing wall of hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away

80
00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:06,320
and peace to you who were near. This could be for you and your prodigal.

81
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:14,240
You're far away perhaps and there's animosity or there's tension. There's so

82
00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:21,520
many things that steal our peace and Jesus says, I'm here. I will give you

83
00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:27,200
peace and I will give your loved one peace and I will bring you together.

84
00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:33,280
Jesus is the source of peace both for our troubled hearts and for troubled

85
00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:39,080
relationships. So when our lives in the wilderness seem filled with chaos and

86
00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:46,600
conflict we can call on this name of Jehovah Shalom and rest in the promise

87
00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:57,960
that Jesus gives us his peace. So a question. What part of the 23rd Psalm,

88
00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:04,280
the shepherd's Psalm, speaks personally to you today? Maybe you should get out

89
00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:10,760
your Bible and and read the 23rd Psalm and let God speak to you through it

90
00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:18,840
today that he will care for you as a good shepherd. And what aspect of your

91
00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:25,920
current life and relationship with your loved one, what needs more of God's peace?

92
00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:41,200
Ask him for it. He'll give it. God bless you.