Psalm 28

[navychap]

Ps. 28:8
“Save your people and bless your inheritance;
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
Over the years, Psalm 28 has been an important Psalm for me both personally and pastorally. As I read the first verse of the Psalm I hear a desperate cry for help from someone who has fallen into a place they cannot get out of, and only God can rescue them.
To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. (NIV)

However, as I have been contemplating the “Shepherd” motif and rereading the Psalm, I am noticing how this image of the shepherd in the last verse fills out the image. I have been in “the pit” before, and have been in need of rescuing from God. But to read this through the ideas of a sheep who has fallen into a pit, which fits with the last verse, it helps me better appreciate the care of God . As the shepherd knows the voice of his sheep, and the sheep that of the shepherd, so to God knows my voice when I call to him. Likewise, I can recognize how he has rescued me at time that I have been in the pit.

The interesting thing is that if I would stay where I belong, which is on his shoulders (described in the verse 8), I would not have to worry about being lost and falling into more pits.

Do we let God carry us? Or do we fall into the circular and destructive pattern of getting into these situations and God rescues us, but then within a short amount of time we are ready to go out on our own again, forgetting what that did for us last time? Perhaps one of the fallacies that we buy into is that God wants us to grow to a point of independence. Instead, it seems that he wants us to grow to a point of dependence that comes with a maturity and recognition of our limitations, instead of an arrogance belief that we should be able to exist without his intervention and protection.

As I grow, it seems that I need to become more aware of my limitations. This is not so I can claim helplessness and sit idly by as life plays out, but so that I can rely on God on a daily basis to carry me through a life that could find me in a lonely and dangerous place if left to myself.

[kelly5966]

Navychap ... I found your observations helpful as we consider our rightful place as under-shepherds, to the Chief shepherd. To improperly view our ministry to the flock in utter isolation of our great God would be utterly unimaginable. However, in practice, we oftentimes behave as if this work is ours to bear-up under and shoulder alone. The safety of His shoulders is a great image to consider in our day-to-day dependency upon our Chief Shepherd. This level of intimacy with our Divine Maker is readily available in our greatest time of need. Desperation and absolute dependency find a safe haven in His care.

Jesus cautioned His disciples that He would not always be with them physically; however, He encouraged them with the promise of the Holy Spirit to come. In the same manner, we too have the Holy Spirit to be that comfort, strength, and counselor in the various trials of life. This necessitates a critical balance of human initiative and prayerful dependence upon God as a follower of Christ (disciple). This thinking is consistent with, "Whatever you ask ... that brings glory to my Father." This gets back to the sticky discussions around motive of ministry. What are the proper goals associated with a healthy interest of the sheep (or flock) in mind?

The matter of a healthy relationship is at the core of it all. The N.T.(John 15) metaphor updates this relationship with a more relevant description of the Grape Vine and associated branches. Clearly, we are dependent upon the Vine for our continued sustenance, strength, and direction.

I think the acknowledgement of the Chief-Shepherd is critical to staving-off the inclination to bear-up alone under the crushing weight of ministry and personal crisis.
_________________
Mike Kelly
Executive Pastor
Village Bible Church
Hot Springs Village, AR