The wandering sheep
After 175 verses of praise, prayer and affirmation of his faith, the psalmist ends psalm 119 with these words; “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments”.
What a sobering thought! However strong we are in His word, we will stumble!
I was watching a documentary on sheep dogs. I learned 3 things;
đđť sheep are dumb, (cute but dumb),
đđť they recognise the shepherd’s voice or his dog’s guiding, and follow blindly,
đđť once in a while, a sheep wanders off but is quickly cornered by the vigilant dog and brought back.
No wonder the psalmist, compared us to sheep;
âŚď¸ We are dumb however cute and sophisticated we look.
âŚď¸ When we keep reading His word, we will recognise His voice and respond when He calls.
âŚď¸ Sometimes, we wander off thinking we know best, ignoring His call. So He uses a friend or an incident to make us return.
And in spite of all this, if we get lost, He searches for us, calling out in love and will find us (John 10:27-30).
Let us pray as the MSG Bible says in Ps 119:176; ” And should I wander off like a lost sheepâ seek me! Iâll recognize the sound of your voice.”
Stay blessed.
Adeline Albert
THE LORD, MY WONDERFUL WATCHMAN
(Psalm 121)
“Watch over” someone/something- means âto guard, protect, or be in charge of someone or somethingâ. âWatchâ- means- ‘look at or observe attentively over a period of time, exercise care, caution, or restraint about.’
The Lord is my Watchman. He doesnât watch me..he WATCHES OVER me.
“Watching “- Satan does that..he observes me very closely, to find anything wrong with me, in order to accuse me before the Lord.
He is restrained about me, I am his enemy, he is the enemy of my soul. He tries to restrain me, restrict me from doing all I ought to be doing for the Lord. But I restrict him in the name of the Lord.
Watching over- The Lord WATCHES OVER me. Thatâs a wonderful reminder indeed. He will keep me from all harm. He is in charge of my life. He is in total control over meâŚif I made the Lord of the mountain (and not the mountain!) take complete control over me.
- He watches over my feet-
When the enemy seeks to make me trip and make me stumble, the Lord simply wonât let him! The Lord never sleeps. He never goes into deep slumber. So I do not need to fear. I can lie down and sleep in peace.
âWATCH OVERâ is used five times here. Imagine a sleeping watchman, what good can he do when a burglar breaks in suddenly.
But if I have made the Maker of heaven and the earth my LORD, then even the sun or moon can never harm me. He made them, to take care of me..not harm me..and they obey His commands.
- He watches over not just me, but all Israel – The Lord is in charge of His people as much as He is over one simple believer who trusts in Him. He wonât slumber or sleep. The psalmist adds both âslumber and sleepâ for added effect. When it comes to His people as a whole, the Lord is double protective!
- He watches over my coming and going – Again my âfeetâ. The Lord is very careful about my whereabouts, the paths of my feet. Because my feet make my path and my path decides my destiny, for eternity. So if He is indeed the Lord of my feet, He will make sure I move in the right direction.
This reminds me so much of Peterâs utterance when Jesus is about to wash his feet. âNot just my feet, but my whole bodyâ, he exclaims. But Jesus tells him that if his feet are clean, his entire body will be too. Our feet are very important to Him. Consecrate them to Him!
- He watches over my life-
Not just my feet, but my entire life! My life is safe in His protective hands.. The Lord is my watchman. He watches over me. He watches over my feet, my very life.
He never sleeps.
Therefore I can sleep now peacefully like a baby in the darkest of nights.
SUJA JACOB
MUMBAI