Day 8 opens with an amazingly lengthy description of things that could go bad or otherwise sicken a sheep - or even quickly a whole flock. A powerful idea from this opening quote is its last line. “But a good shepherd can counter every affliction.� Seeking to counter every affliction sounds similar to Biblical Counseling covered quite thoroughly in the Scott and Lambert book, Counseling the Hard Cases.
One of my new prayers is, “O Lord, as your under-shepherd, help me to counter every affliction and may we together pick up the pieces to your glory when I fall short.�
Laniak emphasizes that the many procedures to carefully monitor the health of the sheep requires touch. He then provides several scriptural examples of Jesus touching people as part of a healing ministry. I believe the point for ministry today is that we must have frequent and appropriate contact with those we care for. How else can we monitor their spiritual health, pray, and seek their healing?
Some illnesses can spread very rapidly through a flock. Sin can spread very rapidly through a congregation. As under-shepherds, we must carefully, as best we can, monitor and always pray for the spiritual, physical, and relational health of the people in the church.
Several years ago while visiting Canadian friends in their home, I had the opportunity to get some ‘hands-on’ experience with a flock of about thirty sheep. My friend’s sheep dog gathered the sheep into one corner of a two acre field and kept them there until released by my friend. He then showed me how to place my left thumb way back in the left side of the sheep’s jaw (there are no teeth way back on either side) and with my right hand to administer an antibiotic ointment with a caulking-gun type of device. Neither this or shearing could happen without the sheep first being placed on its backside. My friend told me once a sheep was in that position, you could basically do anything to them. A lesson was obvious to me. Sometimes we need to be placed on our backside so God can do things to benefit us.
Laniak concludes Day 8 with tools for action to be used with a heart of compassion. He says, “To counter every affliction we need a shepherd’s ‘pouch’ with emergency items: oil for prayer, Scripture for encouragement, phone numbers for crisis assistance. More fundamentally, we need the compassionate disposition of the Great Physician who would stop a crowd to touch a wounded soul.�
With compassionate hearts, may we all use such tools to keep ourselves and our flocks healthy.
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