“‘I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 34:15)
God will tend His sheep and have them lie down. When I saw this video (below) of a sheep surfing I couldn’t help but think of the Lord having a good laugh. If sheep can surf, imagine what God can do with us, His sheep!
The word “tend” can be defined in many ways: to take care of; minister to; watch over; look after; attend to; to be in charge of; to manage; to be on the alert to keep from something going wrong.
Each day of our lives God tends to us in all of these ways, for example, caring for us by sending a small sign of His presence when we feel alone; causing us to be late for an appointment so we avoid a car accident. Even those small inconveniences we sigh over in frustration are ordained by God for our own protection.
The second half of the scripture says, “and have them lie down.” We may all get a giggle out of watching a sheep on a surfboard, but I imagine that sometimes this is how God must see us. We are flying high on what is a temporary happiness when underneath the wave is volatile and could sweep us under. We believe we are somewhat in control, when really God controls our oceans and when that next big wave splashes us.
When the Lord looks down upon us, His sheep, does he see a bunch of us trying to hold onto a surf board and grasp the materialistic things or the superficial relationships?
This is when God swoops into our lives and makes us lie down. We may feel a nudge that it is time to take a sabbatical from social media; perhaps it’s time to stop treading the water of a busy schedule and just take care of ourselves. It may even come as a exasperation of our disease, forcing us to get some bed rest.
Surfing is fun (or so I’ve been told). We all need time to grab onto a board and catch a wave, to feel some adrenaline in life. But when it’s time to lie down, listen to the Lord and don’t fight it. He’s tending to His sheep. Let Him care for you.
Prayer: Lord, help me know when I am supposed to be brave and do something adventurous and when I am supposed to just rest in you and lie down.
About the Author:
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and lives with rheumatoid arthritis. She has a husband and son who both love their skateboards, but so far, no one in her house has attempted the surf boards.
When was the last time you felt God was tending to you? What do you do to try to search out his tenderness when you don’t feel Him tending to you?
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