Trusting in God as Shepherd – Fruit of the Spirit: Peace, Part 2

This week we welcome guest blogger, David Hundert, who is a Master of Divinity student at Evangelical Seminary in Myerstown, PA.

In the previous post we learned that the first step to experiencing peace is to trust in God. But what does it mean to trust in God? There are two analogies that the Lord uses frequently to help us understand trust.

The first is that of a shepherd, and the second is a child. In this post, we’ll learn how to trust in God, our Shepherd.

In Scripture, God uses this one a lot because being a shepherd was common in biblical cultures. The other reason that he used the analogy of a shepherd is because it really does paint a beautiful picture of the kind of trust that leads to peace.

One of the most beautiful depictions of that kind of trust is Psalm 23 in the King James Version.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth 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 thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

Sheep have to trust their shepherd. They rely on their shepherd for everything. For sustenance, water, and safety.

I always wondered about the part of this Psalm that states “He leadeth me beside the still waters.” Why would the Lord make it a point that the waters were calm? A shepherd would know that. Well, I researched this question and discovered that sheep will die from thirst before drinking from a fast moving stream. Sheep have reason to fear the running water because they cannot swim very well. Thrown into a deep, fast moving river, sheep will most likely die. The shepherd wants to keep his sheep safe. So he leads them to still water.

Jesus says in John 10:11-15,

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

The sheep trust their shepherd, and as a result they live out their lives in peace.

What else does Jesus say about peace? We’ll learn more in the next post.

Photo by Antonello Falcone on Unsplash