PURPOSE: To help listeners understand that God will do anything to bring us back to Himself and to help them understand the nature of the shepherd’s guidance.

The person who wrote the nursery rhyme "Little Bo-Peep" didn’t know much about sheep.

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep
And doesn't know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they’ll come home,
Dragging their tails behind them.

I. In his experience, David knew God’s work as a shepherd in restoring him.

He committed adultery with Bathsheba and saw to it that Uriah her husband was killed in battle.

He lived in that condition for over a year. A baby was born to David and Bathsheba.

God sent Nathan to confront David about his sin.

In Psalm 51 David confessed his sin to God. But before David ever confessed his sin, God confronted David to bring him back to Himself.

II. The shepherd restores his sheep when it goes astray.

III. He also leads the sheep in the right paths.

There are many "paths" in the terrain of the Near East.

Some of the paths were made by the wind.

Some were created by robbers who wanted to rob the shepherd of his flock.

There were right paths, and the shepherd knew which paths to take.

IV. What the shepherd does for the sheep, God does for us.

We often feel the need for guidance. Life can be confusing.

God’s guidance is not primarily to a place but to a position in life.

His will for you is that in everything you give thanks.

His will for you is your sanctification, being set apart for a holy purpose.

If we are what we should be, then God has no trouble placing us where He wants us to be. He has made His will for us clear in Scripture.