Sheep are notoriously dumb animals. They easily get lost. If they step into a stream, it’s far too easy for them to tip over, at which point they quickly drown. If left untended, they’ll tread the same paths over and over again, eating all of the grass and then munching on their own waste. (Apparently they can’t tell the difference?) And sheep can’t be trained. You can work for years to teach a sheep how to act, but it’ll still be the helpless furball it was the day you met it. If sheep are kept safe, if they are well-fed, if they end up at their destination, it’s never because the sheep figured it out. It’s always because the shepherd did his job.
And apparently, the same goes for us.
I don’t mean to insult your intelligence. You may be far smarter than me. That’s not the point. You see, when God looked at the entire animal kingdom and decided to pick a metaphor for his people, the one he landed on was sheep. That was his analogy, not mine. He wanted us to remember that our ability to keep ourselves safe, well-fed, and on the right path was never ours alone. If we ever end up at our spiritual destination, it’s not because we figured it out. It’s always because the Shepherd did his job.
In some small sense, I think you already believe this. Think, for instance, about the “wisdom” you had when you were younger. If you’re anything like me, you look back at your decisions and insights from 15 years ago, and you think, Good grief, what was that guy thinking? I’m embarrassed today by some of the things I was proud of back then. Sure, God used me, but I look back and think, That guy was an idiot.
But what’s ironic is that, at the time, I thought I had things pretty well figured out. After all, I was wiser than the person I had been 15 years before that. And I figured, more or less, that I had arrived. (Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about here. I know I’m not the only one.) Given enough perspective, my personal insights—even from the vantage point of my own life—seem foolish. I look back and can pretty easily say, “Yup, that guy was a sheep. The best thing going for him—the only reason he got where he was supposed to—was his Shepherd.”
Now, fast-forward 15 years. What do you think future J.D. will think of present J.D.? Objectively, I know the answer, though it hurts to admit it: Future J.D. will look back and think, That guy thought he was much cleverer than he really was. Yup, that guy was a sheep. The best thing going for him—the only reason he got where he was supposed to—was his Shepherd.
Time has a way of showing us that there’s much more to life that we don’t know. It reminds us that we need our all-wise Shepherd to guide us.
I actually think this is very good news for us, because it means we don’t have to rely on our skill to feel confident in our future. We can trust our Shepherd to guide us even when we feel incompetent. The reality is, we’re always incompetent; we just don’t always know it!
Jesus doesn’t say, “My clever foxes figure it out and do just fine.” He doesn’t say, “My industrious beavers work hard and prevent disaster.” Nope. He says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I lead them.” Our confidence isn’t in our ability to figure out God’s will; it’s in his ability to lead us in it.
What does this mean, practically? For me, I come back to this truth all the time, especially when I face a difficult decision. I will often pray what I call “the Sheep Prayer,” which reminds me of my identity and God’s provision. The Sheep Prayer goes something like this:
God, you called me a sheep. Sheep are idiots. I don’t like it, but I believe it. Which means you know I don’t have the ability to choose the right way here. I’m probably going to get it wrong. So will you lead me? Close doors that need to be closed. Open ones that need to be opened. Give me wisdom, yes, but where I mess it up, which I probably will, will you use your rod and staff to guide me in the path you want me to go?
Then I make the decision I need to make. Am I always 100 percent sure I’m headed the right way? Of course not. But can I walk forward with confidence? Absolutely, because I know that God is keeping his promise. He said he’d lead those who listen to him and trust him. And that’s what the Sheep Prayer declares—my trust in my Good Shepherd.
Our Shepherd is committed to guiding us, steering us, and protecting us. Even when we don’t know how to hear his voice. Even when the thief is coming to steal, kill, and destroy us. We don’t need to see the whole picture. We only need to rest in him. If we do, Jesus says, we lowly sheep are promised abundant life.
The Greek word for “abundance” in John 10:10 is perissos. It doesn’t just mean “a lot.” It means more than you’d expect, more than you’d need, excessive, way over the top. That’s the kind of life God promises for us, his dumb, wandering sheep.
The abundant life doesn’t mean a smooth, problem-free life full of prosperity and riches. Your abundant life might look like that of many of the saints around the world today, filled with challenges and unsolved difficulties, even persecution. But even in the midst of those trials, we can take Jesus at his word: In him, there is an even better life than the one we’d have apart from him. When we walk with the One whose love is better than life and stronger than death, we can rest in the assurance that we are his. His dumb, wandering, lowly, dearly beloved sheep.
So go ahead: Give the Sheep Prayer a try. And watch as your Good Shepherd guides you where you need to go, even when—especially when—you’re not sure of the way yourself.
