1 Peter 2:25: For You Were Straying Like Sheep, But Have Now Returned To The Shepherd And Overseer Of Your Souls.

1 Peter 2:25

[25] For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV)

There is much said in scripture about sheep. The great King David was a shepherd. The word, "shepherd" is used in this verse to refer to Jesus. This word is also used in various places to describe other leaders of people. In the previous verses, the Apostle Peter has described Jesus as a great example for us of how we are to deal with suffering. Here we see that he is a great shepherd of those who do suffer.

If Jesus is the great shepherd, we are the sheep. That is what Peter says here. We were straying like sheep. I do not know a lot about these fuzzy animals, but I know that they are prone to wander. They need a shepherd to care for them, and to take them away from areas that are dangerous. It is clear in this verse that our "straying like sheep" is a reference to our life before Christ. 

It would be nice to think that our straying like sheep has forever ceased, and that we now follow the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls at all times. You and I both know that is not a reality. I am reminded of the hymn, "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing." In that hymn is a phrase, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the one I love." That describes the wandering heart of a sheep.

We are like sheep. We may at times be cuddly. I fear that too often, our similarity to sheep is that we are prone to wander to places that are dangerous for us. There is a need to not only return to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, but also a need to stay with him. This fear of wandering is a daily thing. This is why we need to be led by the Holy Spirit every day, minute, and hour of our lives.

Are you straying? Return to the Shepherd. He is there to care for you and to bring you to eternal life. Ask the Holy Spirit daily to help you to stay close to the Shepherd, and to keep from wandering.