Fear not, Little Flock...the Wayfarer

Fear not, Little Flock

Luke 12:32

³²Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Storm clouds gather and the winds increase in strength as the need for shelter is recognized by those paying attention to the skies, taking note of the darkening of those skies before the onslaught of the coming storm.

The Shepherd guides the flock to the safety of a fold prepared in advance of the storm heralded long in advance, in full confidence of the strength and protection provided for the protection of that flock, so precious to Him, so zealously defended by Him, despite the dangers to be faced  both before and after the passage of that storm.

He calms the flock while gathering it together, His voice ever confident, ever assuring, ever caring for each lamb born into that flock, and, recognized by each as that assurance takes hold despite the foreboding wind that approaches with rapidity recognizable to those who have weathered other storms, remaining dependent upon, and confident in the guidance and protection being offered.

Meanwhile, in another meadow, a hireling looks to the sky. He too recognizes the approaching danger, both to the flock and himself and makes a choice to find shelter wherever it may be found without regard for the flock that has sustained him so well, providing both clothing and sustenance of the meat taken by slaughtering portions of the flock as he deemed necessary while tending them for another.

Off in the distance, the Master's voice is heard, is recognized by those that were tended by the master, and some of the flock move toward that voice in expectation of the protection that it offers as the fear of the storm takes hold.

The remainder balks, hearing  a voice in the rising wind, but a voice that goes unrecognized, choosing instead the direction taken by the hireling, scattering hither and yon, breaking into groups, small and large, led only by the fear of the most fearful among them.

Without guidance other than the guidance of one of their own, they remain subject to the oncoming winds and storm, stampeding away from the distant Voice of an unrecognized Master, no longer hearing the voice of the hireling, as that voice is lifted only in the same fear already held by them.

The succulence of the meadow in  which they were gathered is forgotten in that fear, as the grass of that meadow is bent by the gathering winds.

When the storm arrives, the fear continues to be the driving force, a force that results in stampeding ever farther from the protection offered only by that now forgotten distant Voice, a Voice longed for, but no longer heard as the distance between them and that Voice has increased beyond any point of hearing it, allowing no return to either it or its safety.

Yet and still a few that heard the Voice in time return from the various meadows and are lovingly welcomed into the fold before the vicious storm destroys their ability to hear and return to the fold that has been prepared for ALL of the Master's sheep, including those tended by the fickle hirelings that have tended them, only to neglect them in the time of their greatest need.

John 10:1-15

King James Version (KJV)

10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

² But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

³ To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

⁴ And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

⁶ This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

⁷ Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

⁸ All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

⁹ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

¹³ The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

¹⁵ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

As the storm approaches, it is ever more incumbent to listen closely to the Voice that calls to the safety of the fold prepared, to ignore the voice of the fearful hireling, to differentiate between the two, to recognize that the meadow  that seems so succulent remains within distance of that Voice, but remains distant from the fold as well.

While time remains, that distance must be traversed before the door to the fold is shut when that storm arrives and takes its toll.

Those servants of the Master, not hirelings, who recognize the importance of the flock to Him need to herd them from the unprotected meadows back to the fold that awaits, granting protection to that servant as well as the flock.

Even those hirelings soon must recognize the gathering storm, as will all within its path.

As they exhibit their fear, let us exhibit our confidence in the fold, and more importantly our confidence in the Shepherd that prepared that fold.

Matthew 24:3-31King James Version (KJV)

³ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.
⁹ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
¹⁵ When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
¹⁶ Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
¹⁷ Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
¹⁸ Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
¹⁹ And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
²⁰ But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
²³ Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
²⁴ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
²⁵ Behold, I have told you before.
²⁶ Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
²⁷ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
²⁸ For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
²⁹ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

As the storm approaches, before it arrives, the time has come to gather  rather than scatter the flock.

The time to instill the confidence of that flock supersedes the fear or nonchalant ignorance or the coming storm.

The sheepfold awaits, as does the Master, and the storm cannot prevent the gathering of the flock willing to hear the call in time.

The storm WILL pass!

How it is weathered is dependent upon presence within the fold or distance from it, a choice made  by each as the succulence of the meadow leads more distantly from the fold.

The protection of the fold is surpassed only by the succulence of the meadow that awaits after the passage of the storm, the pasture tended by the Master himself without the distraction of the hirelings who will find their own shelter from the storm inadequate indeed.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer