Psalm 23: – He restores my soul
The Shepherd Restores
The shepherd pays meticulous attention to his sheep. He constantly scans and counts his flock throughout the day to make sure all the sheep are safe. When the shepherd notices a missing sheep, he retraces their most recent path hoping to spot the sheep. As we have mentioned before, sheep wander from the flock when they want to follow their own divergent path. However, another way a sheep separates from the flock is he becomes cast. A cast sheep is just as dangerous as a wandering sheep. A sheep becomes cast when it finds itself lying on its back and feet are in the air. No matter how hard a sheep tries to recover form this position, there is nothing they can do to stand again on their own four feet. The sheep frantically fight but their efforts are in vain. The cast sheep is in a dire situation and their death is imminent. Gas accumulates along the spine of the sheep and the blood drains from their feet. Within hours, the toxic sheep will die if it has not already been attacked by a predator. It is only when the shepherd finds the cast sheep and restores the sheep to their proper position can the sheep join the flock and continue living.
How does the Shepherd Restore the Cast Sheep?
The shepherd stands over the cast sheep, places his hands around its belly and slowly turns the sheep on its side. The shepherd then lifts the sheep off the ground and lets the sheep’s legs hand down. The gas dissipates from the spine and the blood falls back into the legs. Once the sheep gets back on his feet, this shepherd must continue this again and again until the sheep is ready to walk again. The shepherd does for the sheep what they cannot do for themselves.
Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, Restores Us
We all like sheep…find ourselves in positions we cannot overcome. We place ourselves in situations that render us cast. We frantically fight to be freed in our power but it is all vanity. Ultimately, Christ our Good Shepherd does for us what we cannot do for ourselves as He provides for our salvation. Our own efforts will fall short when we try to save ourselves. Only Christ can pick us up and restores us to a right relationship with the Father. Christ’s provision is great and continues past salvation. Without Christ, we would continue to put ourselves in situations that will lead to our death. Christ sustains us and when we are His, He never looses one of His own. Thanks be to God that there is no position in life where Jesus cannot save us from ourselves.
Over the next few days, we will examine how sheep find themselves in the cast position. Because remember, we are all like sheep…
