Hope in Change

He leads me in right paths

For His name’s sake

Psalm 23:3b

Why is change so hard? To some degree, we all wrestle with it. Sometimes we get comfortable in a certain place or way of doing life, even if that comfort harms us. Sometimes we hold onto the past, grasping hold of special memories, fearing loss and pain. Or sometimes we experience God in a unique and wonderful way but fail to move beyond that one experience. We all struggle with change. We are prone to stay in the same place.

Sheep, if left to their own devices, will feed off the same land, pulling up roots and causing devastation to themselves and to the land itself.

Because of the behavior of sheep and their preference for certain favored spots, these well-worn areas become quickly infested with parasites of all kinds. In a short time a whole flock can thus become infected with worms, nematodes, and scabs. The final upshot is that both the land and owner are ruined while the sheep become thin, wasted, and sickly.

Phillip Keller

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

Sheep do not like change; they are prone to stay in the same place. But the Good Shepherd moves the sheep to fresh pastures. “He leads me in right paths for His name’s sake.”

Moses experienced the Good Shepherd in the most profound, unique, and wonderful ways. And yet, like us, Moses still struggled with change. In Exodus 17:6, Moses once again experienced the Good Shepherd’s provision. The Israelites cried out in a deep desert thirst. God instructed Moses to strike a rock. Moses faithfully responded. The water flowed. God moved. God provided. What a glorious mountain top moment!

The Good Shepherd desires us to feed off the lush green grass.

But the Good Shepherd also wants us to follow Him into new fresh pastures.

Later in the Israelites’ wanderings, the people once again felt a deep desert thirst. In Numbers 20:8, God instructed Moses to “command the rock before their eyes to yield its water.” This time, instead of following the Good Shepherd into fresh pastures, Moses overfed on previously green pastures. Moses did not listen and, mimicking his previous actions, struck the rock two times. The water flowed. God moved. God provided. But the consequences, for Moses, were costly.

How often do we spiritually feed off a past memory or a mountain top experience, failing to trust and follow God’s fresh word for this moment?

Moses’ lack of trust kept him from entering the promised land. Our lack of trust keeps us from renewed life in Christ. Change requires trust. And that’s the point. The Good Shepherd invites us to trust Him. The Good Shepherd leads us into fresh pastures… into flourishing life… for the glory of His name, so that we might be a healing witness to a hurting world. “He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.”

W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007), 85.