The Good Shepherd
Everybody Needs Somebody to Follow
The other day I heard this story about the luckiest man on the tallest mountain on earth.
On May 18, a man known as Gelje Sherpa was climbing Mount Everest leading a client to the summit when he saw another climber all alone hanging onto a rope in what is called the “death zone” on Mount Everest. In this area temps drop below 30 degrees Celsius which is the point where human cells begin to die without oxygen.
When Gelje Sherpa saw this man hanging on a rope all alone, he made a quick decision to stop the climb with his client. They would not make the summit today. Instead, he set out to save this stranger who was freezing to death hanging on for dear life to a frozen rope. He made his way over to the man, put him on his back, and proceeded to carrying him 600 meters through the death zone on his back which took him six hours to an area called the South Col, where another group joined the rescue.
They wrapped the man in a sleeping mat for warmth and then continued down the mountain, either pulling him through the snow where they could or carrying him on their backs until they reached the next camp. At that point, they were low enough, still 7,000 meters high, for a helicopter to lift the climber down to base camp where he was then taken to a hospital.
This man was saved because Gelja Sherpa saw him, carried him, and rescued him.
Everybody needs somebody.
Everybody Needs a Sherpa
We were not intended to do life on our own. We were never intended to scale the mountains of this life alone.
We all need somebody who can go before us. Someone who knows what we cannot know, who can see what we cannot see, and who can do what we cannot do.
When we try to go it alone, we will die.
Everybody needs somebody.
Everybody needs a sherpa.
I don’t know how much you know about sherpas, but a sherpa is someone who guides people up the mountain. Someone who knows the way, knows where to camp, knows when to rest and when to push through. A sherpa is someone who goes before you, who has the training and the ability to rescue you should you get into any trouble, and has all the tools at his disposal to save you, help you, and protect you on your journey.
If you were to try and climb Mount Everest on your own, like this one man from Malaysia did, you would probably end up just like him. Lost. Alone. Hanging on for dear life hoping someone would come along who would see you, help you, and save you.
Chances are, you would never do that. Most of us will never attempt to climb Mount Everest and if we did, we wouldn’t do it alone.
But so many of us are trying to navigate this life all by ourselves, climb to the top by our own power, reach the summit before us without anyone’s help and we wonder sometimes why life is so hard, why we feel so alone, and if we’re going to survive.
This is how it is in our culture. We’re trained to be fiercly independant, to follow our own way, we don’t want to listen to anyone, we’ve been told we can’t trust anyone but ourselves, and so we don’t allow anyone to speak into our lives.
But everybody needs somebody to follow.
Everybody Needs a Shepherd
David knew this. And David had this. David didn’t have a sherpa, he had a shepherd.
In one of his most famous psalms, one that you can probably quote from memory, David penned these words…
Hear the words of Psalm 23 from this familiar translation…
Psalm 23, NKJV
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, (the death zone)
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
David knew something we so often forget. Something that is so often overlooked, ignored, and sometimes discouraged in our culture.
Everybody needs somebody to follow.
Everybody needs a shepherd.
David, a shepherd himself, someone who knew a little bit about keeping up with sheep, realized he needed a shepherd, he wanted a shepherd, and David decided that the LORD, YHWH, was his shepherd.
Satisfied
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
And when the LORD is your shepherd, David knew, he would never be in need. As long as the LORD was his shepherd, there would be provision. David believed that our God is a God of abundance. In YHWH we have everything, lack nothing, and are completely satisfied.
David knew who he was and who he was not. He was not the shepherd of his own life.
David knew, whenever I am my own shepherd, I will always lack and be in constant need. Needing provision, needing protection, needing satisfaction, needing acceptance, needing belonging, needing friendship, needing rescue, needing healing, needing guidance, needing rest, needing renewal.
Without the Good Shepherd I am always needy and I have no way to meet my deepest needs on my own. Everything this world offers to fill those needs is short lived and falls short of true fulfillment. Only God can provide everything I need. Apart from God I will always be in need.
I need a shepherd who knows what I don’t know, who can see what I can’t see, who can do what I can’t do and who is always working all things together for my good.
I need a shepherd who can lead my life, guide me in directions I may not otherwise go, protect me from the enemies I see as well as the ones I don’t see. I need a shepherd strong enough to lift me from the pits I fall into, save me from the bad decisions I make on purpose as well as the ones I unintentionally make.
Who else do I trust to do for me what only He can do for me? He knows all things, sees all things, and holds all things together.
Everybody needs somebody to follow. And David decided the LORD is my shepherd.
Restored
And this is what life is like when the LORD is my shepherd…
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
You see, sheep depend on the shepherd for absolutely everything. Quiet streams to drink from. Green pastures to eat. Protection from predators. Rescue when lost. Healing when sick. Daily care. A watchful eye. A guiding presence along the right path, the right way. When the LORD is my shepherd, I CAN BE rested, peaceful, and renewed.
In fact, if you’re wondering, is the LORD my shepherd, just ask yourself…
Do I feel rested? Peaceful? Renewed?
If you are worn out and tired, if you can’t seem to catch up, can’t recharge, you may be trying to be the shepherd of your own life. Or you may be following another shepherd.
If you are overly worried and anxious, if you are stressed out and if there is constant disquiet within your soul, you may be trying to be the shepherd of your own life. Or you may be following another shepherd.
If you are out of gas, if your tank is on “E”, if your internal battery is always in the RED, if you can’t unplug or unwind, then you may be trying to be the shepherd of your own life. Or you may be following another shepherd.
Everybody needs somebody to follow. And when the LORD is your shepherd he revives your soul. He breathes His life into your lungs. And this is important because there will come a time when you’re scaling the Mount Everest that is your life when you will wonder if you can make it any further, if you can continue on any farther.
Directed
The Good Shepherd…
leads me beside the still waters.
leads me in the paths of righteousness.
How good are you at taking directions? Following directions?
Who has permission to speak direction into your life?
Who have you granted authority to in your life?
Who have you submitted your life to?
What does it look like for the LORD to guide you?
If we want God to guide our lives, we have to follow his instructions, his directions.
It does no good to put an address in my GPS, then ignore it’s directions and go my own way. I promise you, if I do that, I will become lost. I will not arrive at my desired destination.
One time, I put the same address in two different GPS apps hoping to get the best directions to where I was going. It didn’t work. I was confused. Lost. There were two voices trying to give me directions. You can’t follow two masters.
David declares, “The LORD is my shepherd. He leads me beside the still waters. He leads me in the paths of righteousness.”
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
And then David writes…
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
In the place of fear, I will not fear. Even though I should be afraid, I will not be afraid because I AM is with me.
Walking through the valley of the shadow of death as far as I know is not optional. Everyone has to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the death zone, at some point, in some way, for some time.
It can look different for different people. For some it’s a season of suffering, sickness, or pain. For others it’s grief, loneliness, loss, and pain. Then there are those who are walking through uncertainty, confusion, and pain. For some it’s physical, for others it’s emotional, for others it’s mental, and for many it’s spiritual.
But for all of us the promise is the same. Because everybody needs somebody to follow through the valley of the shadow of death. And don’t forget, we’re going THROUGH it.
Our shepherd won’t leave us in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death no more than that sherpa would leave the malaysian man stranded in the Death Zone of Mount Everest. We’re going THROUGH it. And we can make it THROUGH it because, I AM is with me.
Even When I am Surrounded
David continues…
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Even when we are surrounded by our enemies, our God is in control. They wait while we are replenished.
They have to stand down while they watch us eat at a table of abundance, overflowing with rich and delicious food, with a cup overflowing with the very best drink.
Our enemies, whoever they are, no matter how many they are, they all submit to the LORD God Almighty. Remember, the LORD of Angel Armies is the One who defeats giants. All our giants fall before Him.
They all WAIT while we are replenished at the table of the LORD.
The With-ness of God
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will DWELL in the house of the LORD
Forever.
David decided the LORD is my shepherd. And what David wanted more than anything else was to dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
What David wanted was to abide in the presence of the ONE who longs to abide with us. To know the with-ness of God.
The same God who hovered over the waters at creation, who walked in the garden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening, who spoke to Abraham on Mt. Moriah, the same God who’s presence led Israel out of Egypt, who met with Moses on Mt. Sinai, who revealed himself to Elijah in the sound of sheer silence, the same God who would one day send His Son from Heaven to Earth, who would be called Jesus of Nazareth, would say about Himself,
“I AM the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – John 10.11
This same God who sent Jesus who was the Word become flesh to dwell among us full of grace and truth so that we could know and experience the with-ness of God, the abiding presence of God.
This same God who sent His Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, our Comforter, and our Helper.
This same God wants to dwell with us as we long to dwell in the house of the Lord forever!
Everybody needs somebody to follow.
Do you know the Good Shepherd?
Charles Laughton was an English actor in the early 1900’s. One night he was attending a Christmas party with a family in London. During the event the host asked everyone attending to recite a favorite passage that best represented the spirit of Christmas. When it was Laughton’s turn, he skillfully recited Psalm 23. Everyone applauded his performance, and the process continued.
The last to participate was an adored elderly aunt who had dozed off in a corner. Someone gently woke her, explained what was going on, and asked her to take part.
She thought for a moment and then began in her shaky voice,
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.”
When she finished, everyone was in tears.
When Laughton departed at the end of the evening, a member of the family thanked him for coming and remarked about the difference in the response by the family to the two recitations of the psalm. When asked his opinion on the difference, Laughton responded,
“I know the psalm; she knows the Shepherd.”
Everybody Needs Somebody to Follow.
We all need somebody who can go before us. Someone who knows what we cannot know, who can see what we cannot see, and who can do what we cannot do.
You need a shepherd who knows what you don’t know, who can see what you can’t see, who can do what you can’t do and who is always working all things together for your good.
Follow the Good Shepherd and He will lead you home.
The Malaysian man rescued on Mount Everest made it to the hospital where he was helped, made a full recovery, and made his way home.
That’s NOT everyone’s story.
Twelve people have DIED this year on Mount Everest. Another FIVE are missing. But this man was saved because Gelja Sherpa saw him, carried him, and rescued him.
Everybody needs somebody. You need a Good Shepherd. You need Jesus.
The Rise & Fall of the Good Shepherd
There are times when we allow the Good Shepherd to rise in our hearts and lives, to lead us, help us, guide us, and abide with us. But if we’re honest, there are other times when we allow His presence in our lives to fall.
Today, if you want his presence to rise let me encourage you to say, “The LORD is my Shepherd.”
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