Your Shepherd

 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet, a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.” – Micah 5:2 

As we introduced yesterday, we are going to spend a great deal of time over the next several days unpacking the Holy Land! We are going to look at the places that were the central settings of some of the Bible’s most popular stories. Today, we are beginning our journey in a little town called Bethlehem.  

This is the same Bethlehem the prophet Micah spoke of beginning in Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet, a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”  

This is the same Bethlehem where the future king of Israel, King David, grew up shepherding sheep. And yes, this is the same Bethlehem where Jesus was born, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah. 

When you visit Bethlehem, you can’t help but think of Jesus as a baby. You visit the nativity square and there is a Christmas tree. You visit the cave, and you see the place commemorating the spot Christ was born. Bethlehem is all about baby Jesus. 

But this time when I visited the Shepherd’s Feld in Bethlehem, I found myself sitting in this cave, not thinking about the angel, not thinking about Mary and Joseph, not even thinking about baby Jesus. In that moment, I was thinking about the shepherds. I kept drawing a correlation and comparison between shepherds in that field, tending to their flock, and Jesus being our shepherd today. 

Do you think of Jesus as your shepherd? Sometimes we can get caught up in the number of people who “have our back” or are “in our corner.” You might feel alone or as if no one is supporting you. But as a believer, this could not be further from the truth. Jesus is our shepherd. He watches over you at all times. He knows exactly where you are and what you need.  

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd! He is watching over you, guiding you, and directing you every step of the way. And best of all, He loves you more than you could ever imagine. No matter what situation you find yourself in, my friend, the Lord is your Shepherd! 

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bible verse

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

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