God the Shepherd

Each day in November, the Everyday Truth blog is looking at a different name for God and providing a family devotional for you to use with your kids. The goal is to keep our hearts focused on giving thanks to God during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.


Did you know you're a sheep? I hate to tell you this, but sheep aren't the smartest animals on the planet. Without a shepherd to guide them and protect them, sheep would find themselves in a whole bunch of trouble. Sheep have no natural defenses. If something shows up and wants to eat them, it's going to have a tasty meal unless there's a shepherd to scare it off.

Psalm 23 tells us that God is our shepherd. It says "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." God, like the shepherd, takes care of all of our physical needs, and He protects and comforts us.

Have you ever seen a shepherd's rod? It's a long stick with a hook on the end. The shepherd would use the hook to grab a sheep. He would put the hook around the middle of the sheep and pull the sheep away from whatever danger it was wandering toward. The shepherd also used his rod to defend the sheep. He could use it to hit another animal that wanted to eat his sheep. The shepherd also herds the sheep in the direction they need to go. He helps them to find good grass to eat.

God does all of these things for us. He protects us from evil. He provides us with what we need. He guides us in the direction that He wants us to go. That's a lot of things for which to be thankful.

Give everyone in your family a sheet of paper and have everyone draw a sheep. Decorate your sheep so it represents you. Be creative. When you're done, hang your sheep somewhere where you will see it a lot as a reminder that you're a sheep and God is the shepherd.

Now, grab your leaves for your thankfulness tree and write down reasons that you are thankful that God is your shepherd. It can be anything from, "God protects me" to "God keeps me from being as dumb as a sheep."

Pray together thanking God for shepherding your family. Thank Him for his comfort, protection and guidance.