Several metaphors are employed to describe the people of God. In Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, we are seen as athletes. Accordingly, he enjoined us to run lawfully and with discipline in order to obtain the prize. To Timothy, he variously described believers as athletes, farmers, and soldiers. Of course, each of these descriptions places its demand. As said earlier, athletes have to be disciplined and obey the rules of engagement. Farmers must put in the required patience and wait for the time of harvest. For soldiers, the demand is to endure tough times and terrains. From the mouth of Jesus, we can learn of another way by which the people of God are seen – they are sheep. Understandably, Jesus described Himself as the good Shepherd whose voice the sheep know and follow.

God’s guidance is the secret of sustenance…No one can enjoy the guiding ministry of the Shepherd unless the spiritual faculties of hearing and seeing are kept sensitive.

A fundamental need of the sheep is guidance. God’s guidance is the secret of sustenance to the sheep. In Psalm 23, David described God as His shepherd, and came up with the bold assurance that he would not lack. He went on elsewhere to testify that from his youth until his adult years, he had not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed beg bread. With God in the saddle, you can be sure of lying in green pastures and moving beside the still water. In addition to provision, God will take care of obstacles along the way. His guidance comes with the added benefit of His presence; and that is all we need to overcome all obstacles. In our last meditation, we concluded that the way to profit from a prophetic word is to maintain a sensitive spirit and pure conscience. That concluding is worth repeating today. No one can enjoy the guiding ministry of the Shepherd unless the spiritual faculties of hearing and seeing are kept sensitive.