Manchaca UMC

Lesson 6: God gently leads in the wilderness. 

On the way to Colorado we passed the gravesite of Charles Goodnight, perhaps the most famous Texas rancher of the 19th century and “the father of the Texas panhandle.” He pioneered cattle drives on what would be called the Goodnight–Loving Trail from Texas through New Mexico and in to Colorado. According to Wikipedia, in 1866 he and Oliver Loving “drove” their first head of cattle to Colorado. But have you ever noticed that you never hear of anyone “driving” sheep? I recall watching shepherds at work for a few hours in the wilderness of Israel. I noticed that they led their sheep from among them and behind them. They had no whips and not even a sheep dog. They used their voices and occasionally threw rocks over the heads of the sheep in the direction towards which they wanted the sheep to move. From that position they could see the strays and make sure none got too far off the path.

Have you further noticed how many of the great leaders in the Bible spent time as shepherds? Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David and the prophet Amos all led flocks before they were called into leadership of God’s people. It seems that the characteristics of good shepherds are also the ones needed to be good leaders- compassion for the flock, ability to nurture and tend the flock, experience to guide the flock and willingness to risk oneself for the welfare of the flock. In Psalm 78:72 came a great complement for King David, “He shepherded them with integrity of heart.” Not only do good leaders have the right skills of shepherding, they display the heart of shepherds; which not coincidentally is the heart of God. In Ezekiel 34:11, God says that God will shepherd the people. In John 10:11 Jesus calls himself “the Good Shepherd.”

All this is to say a few things:
1. What often passes for leadership today is a driving of people motivated by selfishness. That is not biblical leadership. Whether in families, clubs, churches or governments selfless guiding leadership is the way to be effective.
2. We may feel somewhat lost in the wilderness of COVID-19 and think God has driven us here. But God is rather gently leading us from within- encouraging us not yelling orders. We may need to slow down and get more familiar with that voice.
3. We may feel abandoned in this wilderness, but God is actually behind us making sure that we do not get lost and lobbing hints like rocks in the directions in which we can go to find hope for our situation and rest for our weary souls.

~David