A shepherd’s staff is used to rescue a lost or entangled sheep, but it is also the tool by which a shepherd affectionately guides his flock. He will place the tip of the crook along a sheep’s side, guiding them to travel along a new path. This is why the Living Bible translates Psalm 23:4, “… You are close beside me … guiding all the way.”
God is often described in Scripture as a shepherd, guiding His people like sheep, with His staff in hand. Listen to Psalm 78:52–53 which speaks of God leading the Israelites out of Egypt: “He led his people out like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness. He led them safely, and they were not afraid.”
God’s presence
After they were freed from Egypt, God led them in the desert with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. His visible presence guided them in the wilderness in the same way that a shepherd’s staff would guide the flock.
Once the people had crossed through the dry ground of the Red Sea, Moses led the people in singing a song to God, praising Him for being their guide: “With Your faithful love, You will lead the people You have redeemed; You will guide them to Your holy dwelling with Your strength” (Ex. 15:13).
A few centuries later, God reminds the people again that He is their Shepherd who will not leave them. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reiterates that He will guide them: “I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not abandon them” (Isa. 42:16).
What a wonderful promise! God will lead us and never abandon us, just as a shepherd would never abandon his sheep.
Friend, it gets better. As Christians, we now have the Holy Spirit as our Guide! Jesus told His disciples that it was better for Him to ascend to heaven so that the Holy Spirit would come to us (John 16:7). He promised that God will “give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth … [and] He remains with you and will be in you” (John 14:16–17).
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit of God dwells inside of each of us, to lead, guide and direct us. He is our Counselor, reminding us of Jesus’ words (John 14:26) and teaching us. He is the one who “will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).
And so perhaps this is why Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful” (John 14:27).
Jesus knew that if He left, the Holy Spirit would come. And He is our peace as He leads and guides us, just like a shepherd with his staff.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This first-person piece is an excerpt from “Overflowing Peace: What God Says About a Peace-Filled Life” by author Tara Dew published by B&H Publishing. Tara is married to Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
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