Psalm 31 has been rolling around in my head for a few days now. I would like for you to read a few verses with me:

“O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me; rescue me quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger. Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me for I find protection in you alone. I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God” (Psalm 31:1-5 NLT).

As I mulled these verses over, I began to prepare the Sunday School lesson for our preteens at church. The lesson was about the parable Jesus told of the lost sheep. Our kids love to act, so we had one boy act as the shepherd and all the others acted like sheep on legs and hands walking around the room.  The kids kept running into each other while the shepherd tried to corral them in one area of the room. As soon as he got one side of the kids in order, another “sheep” would take off and two others would follow suit. We talked about how it seemed ridiculous that a shepherd would leave 99 sheep unattended in an open area to go look for one sheep. The kids talked about the different viewpoints of the story and how it felt to be the shepherd, to be the one lost sheep, and to be the other 99 sheep. It was pretty lonely being lost and the other 99 just wanted their friend to come back home.

Our lesson then turned to application. We are the sheep and God is our Great Shepherd. When we follow God, we are the 99 sheep. Our friends at school who are not Christians are the one sheep that has been lost. Even when we are among the 99 sheep, though, we can never take our focus off of our shepherd, God, because we, too, will begin to stray. As we stray, other sheep will most likely follow. The kids were challenged to keep their eyes on God to help corral and lead their friends back to God.

So, I go back to the five verses I had you read with me. Do you see the theme in these five verses and the parable Jesus told of the lost sheep? It’s total dependence upon God. It’s an outright begging for God to intervene in our lives and for Him to lead us. We can’t lead on our own, nor can we survive on our own! Even during dry patches in your life when you wonder where God is taking you, God sees the whole picture. This might be the greenest pasture there is around for miles. Be thankful for His protection. Trust in the Lord!

© 2013 Susan M. Sims

Image courtesy of Hordur Vilhjalmsson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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