This week a lost sheep walked down the lane past my house. I knew it was lost because it was on its own and I knew that wasn’t right – sheep are generally supposed to be with others in a field eating grass. Also, not long after the sheep went past someone came running after it!
This incident reminded me of why in the Bible we are referred to as sheep and God as a shepherd. Sheep are pretty stupid. Without any thought for their own safety, they’ll wander off in any direction and get hopelessly lost. If one finds a hole in a fence to climb through, then the rest will be sure to follow. That’s why sheep need shepherds to look after them. Someone who will care for them and go searching for them and bring them home when they wander off.
The Bible tells us that God is the good shepherd. That’s very good news because it also tells us that ‘all we like sheep have gone astray’. We’ve wandered away from God and got ourselves hopelessly lost.
The lost sheep who walked past my house was eventually found by its owner. So too can we be found by God.
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