Then he let out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
– Psalm 78:52
This whole chapter is filled with a recounting of how God has worked among his people throughout the Old Testament. It tells specifically how God’s people have often rejected, sinned, rebelled, and not trusted him, which leads to verse 52.
Psalm 78:52 Reminds Us God is Our Faithful Guide
He led out his people like sheep and guided them and the wilderness like a flock. What a good word, that even though we like sheep, Isaiah 53 go astray, that we like sheep are prone to wander from the shepherd, that God is a good shepherd. He faithfully loves us, leads us, cares for us, guides us. I read this verse as part of this chapter, and I see my life how many times I have rebelled against God’s leadership in my life. But he has patiently, lovingly, faithfully shepherded me for my good.
He has pursued me, chased after me, fed me, nourished me, protected me from the adversary, protected me from sin, protected me from myself. I’m so thankful that God is my shepherd and today amidst all the things going on in my life and family and work, I’m so thankful that I can rise in the morning and come before God as my shepherd who will lead me and guide me today, and obviously I’m reflecting on this in my own life, but this is true for you, for all who trust in Jesus, the good shepherd, God is your guide.
Psalm 78:52 Reminds Us God is Always Working for Our Good
God is the one who takes responsibility for your good, for nourishing you, for pursuing you, for leading you, for guiding you, for helping you, for giving you everything you need. I just encourage you today to look to God as the shepherd who has worked on your behalf all your life and who is working right now today on your behalf.
God, we praise you as our shepherd. Psalm 23, you are our shepherd. We shall not want you lead us. You guide us. Lord, you prepare tables for us in the presence of our enemies. You anoint us, your goodness and mercy. Follow us all the days of our lives. God, we praise you that today new merrcy is waiting for us from you as our shepherd, and you will lead us and guide us. God, we pray for that. We pray You help us to stay close to you. Please keep us close to you today in every facet of our lives, and please direct our thoughts, our desires, our steps, and ways that are good for us and glorifying to you. God, we pray for people who don’t know you as their shepherd right around us.
Praying for the Yakthumba People
God, help us to point people around us today to your shepherding love, to You, Jesus as the good shepherd, the great shepherd and God, we, we pray for people who have little to no knowledge of your shepherding love in Jesus who’ve never heard the name of Jesus. Many of them we pray specifically for the Yakthumba Limbu people of Bhutan, as well as in India and Nepal, but God, this people group in Bhutan, specifically among whom there are no known limbo believers, God, we pray that the gospel would reach the Yakthumba Limbu of Bhutan and that they would know you as their shepherd. We pray all of this in light of your word in Psalm 78:52. In Jesus name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
