I wish there was a way to open up a blog like this for follow up conversation among the readers. Here I am sharing some of my personal experiences and I am sure that many of the readers have something similar to share. I found an old diary of mine from 2006 when my wife and I met my daughter in Costa Rica to spend a week at Arenol Volcano, Manuel Antonio Park (rain forest), and Monteverde (cloud forest). It really was a great week looking back but my daily diary comments were full of my stress and worry. over thiings on the trip. In my comments, I kept asking the Lord to help me relax and enjoy the trip but I kept stressing out over every little thing. I even mentioned that they should leave me at home on the next trip. Well, looking back I am so glad we made that. trip. We followed it up with our entire family of 16 going to Costa Rica for 11 days this past summer, and that was a great trip. Yes, I stressed out a lot on that one also, but I made it and enjoyed it.

My devotional thought after reading my diary took me to some of Jacob’s last words before he died in Egypt. As he was blessing Joseph’s two sons who were born in Egypt, he said, ““The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked ,the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
¹⁶ the angel who has redeemed me from all evil.” Jacob was like me. He wrestled with God all his life, always trusting his own cunning ability to deceive and outsmart others to get material blessings. He wrestled with the man (God taking the form of a man for a night) all night and the man (God) changed Jacob’s name to Israel, which means “one who wrestles with God”. Jacob continues to wrestle with fully trusting God instead of relying on himself for the rest of his life until, after 17 years in Egypt, he finally seemed to make his peace with God as he died at 147 years old. His comment in his blessing the two boys is revealing to me. I think he finally looked back at his whole life and remembered how he had wrestled with God, trying to control things instead of trusting God to control things. I think he had a death bed epiphany: “in spite of my wrestling with God, He has been my shepherd all my life, protecting me (from Esau, from Laban, from the Shechemites who raped Dinah, from the Canaanites, from the famine, from the Egyptians) from every danger and difficult situation”. I think he finally relaxed and died in peace, fully trusting God finally. Maybe he thought about how much more he could have enjoyed the journey of life if he had fully trusted God instead of wrestling with God for control. I would love to talk to him in heaven and find out what he was thinking.

Where do we read those words, “my shepherd“? David said, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). There are many verses about shepherds. A sheperd would lead the flock to pastures and water, protect the sheep from danger, heal up their wounds, and search for any lost sheep. God laid the blame on the shepherds of Israel (the elders) for not taking care of the flock (Israel) in Ezekiel 34. God predicted in that chapter that one day He Himself would take over shepherding HIs people by making David as their shepherd. Of course, that was fulfilled in Jesus, the good shepherd (John 10). Perhaps David was chosen to be the type because “David shepherded them (Israel)with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them (Psalm 78:72). Jesus had compassion on the common people b/c they were like “sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34), constantly rebuking their leaders, the Pharisees, scribes, and elders. Jesus would be the good shepherd who would care for the sheep, not allowing anyone to take them “out of His Father’s hands” (John 10). Micah ahd predicted this when he announced where Jesus would be born: “For the Lord says about his eternal ruler from Bethlehem, ‘He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.’ And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace ” (Micah 5:4-5). Jeremiah predicted that David (Jesus) would be king again one day and “⁴ I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord ” (Jeremiah 23:4). I think the shepherds he sets over the flock (the church) would be the apostles and elders who shepherded the Jewish remnant church who accepted Jesus as the Messiah, their shepherd. Notice the peace the sheep would have in the Messianic kingdom, the church: no more fear, dismay, or lost sheep. Of course, God the Father is our ultimate shepherd: “May the God of peace, …that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:20-21). The elders in the early church were also called “pastors” (poimen, shepherd). They were told: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:1-4). I don’t know what heaven will be like, but Revelation 7:17 gives us one picture of heaven. “”For [Jesus] the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

I think my life would be a lot stress free if I would trust more fully in God and Jesus as my shepherds. Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” 1 Peter 2:²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Happy, peaceful sheep just relax and follow their shepherd. They don’t worry about getting food or water, or any danger that might come. As Jeremiah said, they will “fear no more or be dismayed (overwhelmed by a situation)” b/c their shepherd is there to guide and protect them. You could say that sheep were not too bright, now aware of danger or the threat of lack of food or water. Or you could just wish that you were more like them. We can be like them if we will trust in the good shepherd Jesus and the great shepherd God the Father.

Like Jacob, I look back at our first Costa Rica trip and think, “I could have enjoyed it a lot more” if I just trusted God the whole time. I can look back at so many such situations in my life where I could have “enjoyed the journey” with God if I had turned complete control over to HIm and trusted Him more fully.

Anyone reading this article who feels the same way? You can comment on articles and I’m not sure if everyone can read your comments, but I would love to hear your experiences on you journey with God and how He shepherded, guided, and protected you. Whatever is stressing you out today, just relax, take a deep breath, turn it over to God and Jesus, and then deal with your stressors in complete confidence that God is guiding and protecting you. You don’t have to try to do it all on your own!