In many parts of the bible, God is compared to a shepherd who guides us and looks over us
- Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3
- As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:13
- The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long. Psalm 23
- Psalm 23, another favorite, speaks of this unfailing care: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” God the father, or Jesus, is often imaged as the good shepherd who takes care of the sheep. A good shepherd does everything for “his” sheep. He leads them into pastures for feeding. He protects them and makes sure the sheep do not get lost. When any of them stray, the shepherd sets out to find the lost sheep. Without the shepherd the sheep wander off and are subject to attacks by predators. Just as a good shepherd rescues his sheep when they get in trouble, so God rescues and restores us. Flora A. Keshgegian
- Many find comfort in the image of God as a good shepherd. Psalm 23 is often recited by sick beds and at funerals. It promises both protection and abundant care for God’s sheep. The proper relationship of sheep to shepherd, as of sons to fathers, is one of obedience. Sheep do best when they follow their shepherd and listen to his voice. Whether we are God the father’s children or God the shepherd’s sheep, we are expected to do God’s bidding and heed his will. Flora A. Keshgegian
- If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. Jesus Christ
- I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10
- The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” (Genesis 48:15)
- He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)
- Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth.” (Psalm 80:1)
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Many find this metaphor most comforting
- Trust the Lord. He is the good shepherd. He knows His sheep. And His sheep know His voice. Russell Ballard
- It takes some of us a lifetime to learn that Christ, our Good Shepherd, knows exactly what He is doing with us. He understands us perfectly. Phillip Keller
- The Lord called Himself and is the ‘good Shepherd’ (Jn. 10:11). If you believe in His guidance, then you will understand by your heart that as a zealous shepherd when feeding his flock does not allow the sheep to disperse, but gathers them together, so also the Lord pastures our souls, not allowing them to wander in falsehood and sins, but gathering them on the path of virtue, and not allowing the mental wolf to steal and scatter them. John of Kronstadt
- If we were sheep, God would be like a Shepherd to us. That is the whole point. That is the major point: God is attentive, providing safety, shelter, and healing, giving us what we really need. Carolyn Jane Bohler
- Shepherd, as a metaphor for God, has met with a resounding, “Yes, God is like that!” for hundreds of years because it creates a sense of comfort. Shepherd God is helpful, observant, and always there. Yet, we are not sheep. We are human beings who have the capacity for even more delight than sheep. Carolyn Jane Bohler
- Is not our Lord as meek and humble in the Blessed Sacrament as He was during His life on earth? Is He not always the Good Shepherd, the Divine Consoler, the Changeless Friend? Happy the soul that knows how to find Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and in the Eucharist all things! Peter Julian Eymard
- He guides us into pastures green, He leads to bowers of bliss, Our Father lives, the God unseen, and Christ our Shepherd is. Cecil Frances Alexander
- If the Lord is your shepherd, He is sufficient for all your needs. Tony Evans
- Trust the Lord. He is the good shepherd. He knows His sheep. And His sheep know His voice. Russell Ballard
- The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want for nothing. He makes me lie down in the green pastures. He greases up my head with oil. He gives me kung-fu in the face of my enemies. Amen. Stephen King
- The Lord called Himself and is the ‘good Shepherd’ (Jn. 10:11). If you believe in His guidance, then you will understand by your heart that as a zealous shepherd when feeding his flock does not allow the sheep to disperse, but gathers them together, so also the Lord pastures our souls, not allowing them to wander in falsehood and sins, but gathering them on the path of virtue, and not allowing the mental wolf to steal and scatter them. John of Kronstadt
- God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb. Laurence Sterne
- What encourages and comforts the sheep in the fearful darkness of this mountain canyon is the sight of the shepherd’s rod and staff. They are the elements of protection that will ward off the wolf. The sheep see the rod and they know that the shepherd will use it to protect them, even to the extent of putting his life at risk — and they are comforted. Your Shepherd is committed to delivering you from your enemies and has indeed laid down his life for you in the battle for your soul. Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
- God has not abandoned us any more than he abandoned Job. He never abandons anyone on whom he has set his love; nor does Christ, the good shepherd, ever lose track of his sheep. I. Packer
- The metaphor of the king as the shepherd of his people goes back to ancient Egypt. Perhaps the use of this particular convention is due to the fact that, being stupid, affectionate, gregarious, and easily stampeded, the societies formed by sheep are most like human ones. Northrop Frye
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God protects us from danger
- God realizes His people need protection from the pains and heartaches of the world. Max Anders
- God’s love does not protect us from suffering. God’s love protects us in the midst of suffering. Hans Kung
- There simply is no better defence than God Himself! He never has and never will be defeated. To those who know Him, He is their comfort, relief, help and hope! Alton Trimble
- Be strong and of good courage, do not fear not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you, nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
- When the ruler is obedient to God, God is his protector and friend. Saadi
- God has been described by all the scriptures of the world as protector and saviour of the sinner. Mahatma Gandhi
- The Providence of God is the great protector of our life and usefulness, and under the divine care we are perfectly safe from danger. Charles Spurgeon
- May God protect me from gloomy saints. Teresa of Avila
- God, guide and protect us. When we’re wrong, please correct us. Bob Marley
- God will protect us, but to make sure, carry a heavy club. Gypsy Rose Lee
- May the strength of God pilot us. Saint Patrick
- May God protect us from all the religions! Mehmet Murat Ildan
- All the religions of the world describe God pre-eminently as the Friend of the friendless, Help of the helpless, and Protector of the weak. Mahatma Gandhi
- Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. John of the Cross
- I walk with God, and He protects me. Dan Harmon
- Cast fear forever from your heart. God’s love protects the sparrow: surely He is near His children who rely on His faithfulness! Frances J Roberts
- The Lord protects, guides, and watches over those who are His trusted friends in His work. Henry B. Eyring
- I know that there is a God – the God within me that’s always present and will protect me. I’m not afraid to climb any mountain, because I know that I’m protected. Even if I fall and die, I’m still protected. My faith is on that level. Halle Berry
- Everybody has a God and believes that his God will deliver him and protect him from his enemies! Malcolm X
- He is my shield, the power that saves me and my place of safety. Psalm 18: 2
- The providence of God is the great protector of our life and usefulness, and under the divine care we are perfectly safe from danger. Charles Spurgeon
- Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the almighty, can say to Him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God, in you I trust. Psalm 91:1-2
- When the ruler is obedient to God, God is his protector and friend. Saadi
- The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed. 2 Timothy 4:18
- Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God is with you. 1 Chronicles 28:20
- Personally, I do not believe that God spares us from all that we can get ourselves into; but God tries so darn hard. With every step we take, God tries to keep us on the path of wisdom. God tries to get our attention and to weed out the dangers for many health hazards. Carolyn Jane Bohler
- When we are in danger, He is the protector. When we are in need, he is the provider. Exodus 3:14
- The wise man in the storm prays God not for safety from danger but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within which endangers him[,] not the storm without. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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God is also compared to an eagle that protects us
- Verse 11 introduces another divine metaphor, describing God as an eagle watching over its young: “Like an eagle who rouses its nest, over his young he hovers; he spread his wings, he took him, he carried him on his pinion.” Some scholars argue that the verb translated here as “rouses” may mean “to protect.” Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss
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The shortcoming of this metaphor is that it implies we are sheep
- The metaphor of the king as the shepherd of his people goes back to ancient Egypt. Perhaps the use of this particular convention is due to the fact that, being stupid, affectionate, gregarious, and easily stampeded, the societies formed by sheep are most like human ones. Northrop Frye
- Though the metaphor of Shepherd points to God, we can easily say, “God is not exactly like that everywhere, all the time, for all people,” especially if we highlight the necessity for human wisdom and responsibility in conjunction with God’s caretaking. Carolyn Jane Bohler
https://wisdomtrove.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-test-300x37.png 0 0 Graeme https://wisdomtrove.com/wp-content/uploads/logo-test-300x37.png Graeme2020-11-19 04:28:342021-09-17 03:00:18God as shepherd and protector(quotes)