We live in a land of sheep. Take a tour on our luscious green isle, and you will find sheep penned in fields, strutting along rural roads, perched on mountains, and staring over cliffsides. They are a constant reminder of biblical metaphors depicting our loving Father as a good shepherd and we His children as sheep.  

Specifically, in Psalm 23, we see the tender, yet firm, care of God as our shepherd. The first few verses denote calm and restoration like when I see sheep easily grazing in a field hemmed in by four stone walls. Then verse 4 describes trouble and peril like when I see sheep precariously standing at the edge of a cliff. But in all four verses, the sheep have peace because the shepherd is with them providing comfort and protection. His rod fends off enemies, and his staff pulls sheep away from danger. His mere presence dispels fear and instills a sense of security as the sheep listen to his voice and follow him.

Safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of our Shepherd amidst danger. When we first moved to Ireland, friends and family in Texas feared we might get caught up IRA terror attacks. Then when we sent our teenagers to Texas for a semester abroad in a public high school, our Irish friends feared they would get caught up in a mass shooter incident. In our hyper media-driven society, we are more and more aware of the dangers in our world, whether real or perceived. Yet God still calls us to go into the world.

In Chapter 7 of Hannah Hurnard’s, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, the Chief Shepherd is encouraging Much-Afraid to continue following Him even if the path He calls her to is less than appealing and seemingly counterintuitive: “Remember also that it is always safe to obey my voice, even if it seems to call you to paths which look impossible or even crazy.” No matter where we are in the world, peace, comfort, and protection are fully found in the presence of our Shepherd.