Be Their Shepherd
by Liz Griffin
The Psalmist cries out in prayer ‘Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever’. How much we need to pray this prayer today for all our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ.
There are times when we’re so weak we need to be carried. We’re certainly weak as individuals, but also as the family of God. There’s a wonderful promise that God our Father will come to us as a shepherd and tenderly carry us. It’s a strong thread running through the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and Isaiah. ‘He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength’ (Isaiah 40:29); ‘He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young’ (Isaiah 40:11).
Jesus proclaims it by saying He IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD. And after He’d died, risen from the dead, and ascended to heaven, we received the promise in the book of Revelation - ‘For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’ (Revelation 17:7).
Some of us have tried to do things our way, and fight our way through all the obstacles, but our own power is NOT sufficient. It’s amazing how fragile we each are. One minute we feel on top of the world and capable of anything, the next we’re flat on our faces, through the circumstances of life.
Don’t let’s pretend we’re impregnable towers of strength, and become proud. We need the Good Shepherd, but we’re also supposed to be interdependent with others in the Body of Christ. Let’s look around us and see those who are wounded and need our help. There is a call to be under-shepherds to the Good Shepherd. And when our time of need comes we will also be blessed to receive help from our fellow believers as they shepherd us.
‘Brother let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you. Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant too’.
Prayer: We thank You, Lord, that You promise to tenderly and lovingly carry us when we are wounded. We pray You will put Your arms around the lost and hurting and bring them home. May we also be able to act as under-shepherds for the needy when you call us to do so. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Liz Griffin lived for 20 years as an expatriate in South Africa, Bahrain and Japan, as her husband Paul worked for an international oil company. Paul and Liz became involved with Ellel Ministries in 1991 as part of the ministry team and joined the full-time team at Ellel Grange in 1995. Paul and Liz teach and minister to those seeking healing in their lives and together have written two books, 'Anger - How Do You Handle It' and 'Hope and Healing For The Abused'.
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