Shepherded or Shepherd-less?

On the day the Queen passed away my wife made a very pointed observation that evening when we were sitting watching events unfold in front the TV. It was by now late evening and getting dark and we saw the crowds milling around outside Buckingham Palace and Penny turned to me and said, ‘They are wandering around seemingly lost and hopeless like that verse in the Bible.’ It was in verse thirty-six of Matthew chapter nine where it says:

When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

I imagine a lot of us have seen or even been in that state where we have experienced a loss or ending of something in our lives, and we are left wandering about asking ‘What are we going to do now? What are we going to do now? What are we going to do now?’

For most of us reading this we have known no other monarch other than Elizabeth II and we have now seen that she like the rest of us was mortal after all. The work she did for the UK and its Commonwealth for seventy years was immense despite all that life threw at her – some of which we will never know. However, she remained faithful to the pledges and promises that she made to both God and us, her people. By just being steadfast, she reflected the unstinting commitment that Christ had to His mission when He came to this earth, lived, was put to death but rose from its grasp on that Easter morning. Just like the Saviour she loved and followed she knew that the ultimate expression of leadership was service, yet again this was true of her right to the very end. Praise God for such leaders.

Yes, we as a nation have lost our God appointed Sovereign who served and shepherded us whether we liked it or not. The thing is that we need not wander around like those people in Matthew as we can put our trust in that ‘Great Shepherd of the sheep’ spoken of in Hebrews chapter thirteen. He is so much more than just a leader, for a start He lives and reigns eternally. He cannot be deposed in a coup, voted out, nor will He ever abdicate and once you place your life in His hands you are there for eternity and your sin is removed forever. Added to this the relationship is far more personal than Monarch and Subject as it allows us to come into His presence without an appointment or meeting certain criteria. He accepts us just as we are.

I will end with just this: Do you feel as though you have been wandering about this life like a lost sheep and having seen what this world has to offer and whichever avenue you went down never really lasted? Then I can tell you that when you put your trust in Christ as your Saviour today it will be the most permanent decision you will ever make and then He will forgive, keep, guide, and satisfy you.