I love sheep; I have loved them since I was a child.

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Especially lambs.

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I recently bought an articulated miniature lamb, from one of those 3-D printers. Its body is in articulated segments, at its head, its legs, and its midsection.

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Its articulation makes a clicking noise, probably similar to the sound of an insect. That sound has captivated my kitten, Holy Ingenue’s attention.

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Cats and bugs.

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Anyway, its articulated legs can splay flat on a surface, or be more column-like, standing on its own.

And, likewise, especially, if my kitten gets ahold on it, it can be flipped on its back, with its four feet in the air.

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Like that of real sheep.

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Yeah, it’s a common predicant for these animals.

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Unfortunately, sheep can get themselves stuck, flat on their backs, with their legs stuck in the air.

It may look amusing or adorable, but it can be a deadly situation for them. They cannot “right themselves” on their own. And their own body weight can even cause pressure/suffocation for their bodies, as this stuck position is hard on their hearts.

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Heavily pregnant, old, or injured sheep are even more vulnerable, stuck in that position. They need their shepherd to come up to them, grab them, and stand them upright.

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Sometimes, the sheep’s legs are shaky once they are repositioned with human intervention. They struggle to stand or walk.

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They are at risk for predators.

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Scripture describes us, throughout its passages, as sheep.

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Helpless, clueless, always getting struck in some type of briar, or falling off from some kind of cliff, at the risk of countless predators, sheep.

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Hence, our Good Shepherd…

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11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

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14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

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John 10:11-18

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He helps us to stand up correctly. He rescues us. He helps articulate us, not just our limbs, but all the issues and factors in our lives. He works to make sure that we can move effectively…

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“…‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.’”
Ezekiel 34:15-16

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Scripture describes how it is not just WHO is an enemy to us, that He will deal with, but also WHAT is an enemy to us as well.

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“Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am YHWH, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid.”

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Ezekiel 34:27-28

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We have a variety of enemies, predators, issues, vices, weaknesses.

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And, of course, we have the enemy of our souls…

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“Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

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1 Peter 5:8

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All of this may sound intimidating and depressing. It’s not difficult to feel like those stranded sheep, with their feet stuck in the air.

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Yet, again, our Shepherd, Our GOOD Shepherd…

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“…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.”

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Psalm 23:1-3

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No matter what kind of sheep you are, one of the 99 or the one needing rescue, you are not too far gone.

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Rather, you are marked.

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You hear His Voice, because you have already been selected. That includes those of us tangled in briars, lost, injured, and with our feet stuck in the air.

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You hear Him; He’s calling you right now.

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Respond, then, respond.

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This is your moment.

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“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize His Voice and come to Him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow Him because they know His Voice.”

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John 10:3-4

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This is your opportunity to transform from paralysis to movement.

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He wants to articulate you with His love…

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“The thief does not come except so that he might steal and might kill and might destroy. I came so that they may have life and may have it abundantly.”

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John 10:10

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He wants to set you a-right.

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Will you let Him in to do so?

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Let’s pray.

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Yahshua, My Savior, יֵשׁוּעַ‎.

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I do fully come to You now, asking You to be My Savior, to take over my life.

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You know exactly how I am stuck, how it seems like I cannot move.

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I feel trapped.

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I know that You paid The Price for me; You died for me.

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Just like a Good Shepherd sacrifices Himself for his flock, You have chosen, chased after, and have decided to rescue me.

Articulated Sheep