HELEN SANDERS
3-5-2026
TRUST THE SHEPHERD

David was the youngest in the family. Do you know what that is like? Well, it is the place that the older brothers and sisters look at you as not being on the same level. The baby. The one that should take advice from the “older” ones. Often the youngest is made to feel “less than adequate.”

Yet with David it was different. He didn’t get his “perks” from his family’s praise. He spent most of his time alone with sheep. He knew them well. Perhaps he knew each of them by name. Sheep know their shepherd’s voice and follow them. They have learned to trust their shepherd. David even wrote about it in Psalm 23.

Those years as a young boy also brought him close to the “great shepherd.” He knew his voice. He followed Him. He had gained much spiritual strength from those lonely days where it was just him and the sheep. He became strong physically and spiritually. In the natural he fought off a lion and a bear. He was a protector of that he was made steward over.

Those years did not go to waste for David. It prepared him to face a giant and win a battle. He was anointed by Samuel to be king, but it took years before he had a kingdom. Those years were preparation for him. He knew the lonely walk where it was just himself and God, and it prepared him for the time where he could say, “thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Yes, there were many enemies. His brothers were jealous. The reigning king hated him. He lost his best friend Jonathan in battle, and he had sons that turned on him.

Sounds like real life, right? Yes, my friend, it does. And that brings me to this. There will be times that it seems that God is silent. You wait for the “promise” to come, and it seems like it has been permanently delayed. You cry out to God and you “hear nothing.” Your tears may flow like a river, while you question God as to why you are going through these things. Yet, in your heart, you know that God is with you. He is refining you in these quiet, silent days. He is making you dependent upon your “shepherd” rather than the strength of man. These are the days that will cause you to come out of the fire stronger than ever before.

When the medical report doesn’t look good. When the family turns their back on you. When your friends scatter just when you need their help. When your finances are low and you sense your world is crashing, you must remember the voice of the Shepherd. He is saying, “I will lead you. I will carry you. I will never forsake you.” The silence can be deafening, but the ears of the spirit hear him say, “Peace be still. Trust me and we will make it through this together.”

Today, know that the one that created you, the shepherd of your soul, has not forgotten you. He has been there all along, allowing your faith to grow stronger in Him as He brings you through the waters and the fires of life. Your day of victory is coming. Trust your shepherd.