—MO June, 1971 NO.98

1. THE PICTURE OF THE PEACEFUL SHEPHERD. MO was upset and bawling out some of the undershepherds, when he stopped for prayer and got this beautiful picture of a shepherd on the hillside with his sheep. The shepherd seems to be upset about something. The sheep are bunching up and running around nervously, excitedly, and somewhat fearfully, and they're running back and forth in confusion, as though they're wondering what made the shepherd angry. It's a funny thing how animals partake of your own spirit. If you're frightened, they're frightened. If you're cross and nervous‚ they get nervous—horses, dogs, sheep or goats, etc., react this way to your own emotions, especially if you're very close to them!— Chickens, too!

2. WHEN THE SHEPHERD GETS UPSET, IT UPSETS THE SHEEP. The shepherd must feed of the elements of the earth to be satisfied‚ and to satisfy his flock. He too, must sit upon the hillside and pipe sweet music unto His Creator in praises, to bring peace to his own soul. So the shepherd sits down on a rock on the hillside overlooking the pasture and the sheep grazing‚ and begins playing on his wooden pipe—there is another shepherd with him‚ who sits quietly listening. And when he just quit trying to run everything else in his own spirit, and sat down and relaxed and got in communication with his own Creator,—when he shut his eyes and began to play such sweet music on his pipe—the sheep knew everything was alright‚ and they just calmed down and went quietly about their business. That quietness of spirit was passed on to them. So the shepherd himself has to be fed with the hand of his Creator, and the hand of his Shepherd, If he's going to feed the sheep and bring them the same peace. That sweet music of praise relaxed the sheep and they began to graze again and spread out over the hillside.

3. OCCASIONALLY IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE SHEPHERD TO FEED A SHEEP WITH THE ROD and with the bread of affliction (Mic 7:14; IKgs 22:27). So instead of bawling everybody out, he just takes a staff and strikes the one sheep that's disorderly, not making a big fuss about it, so it doesn't upset all the sheep. But that one gets the point!

4. THE MAIN JOB OF A SHEPHERD IS TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE LORD—to begin the day with sweet music—praise and fellowship. We have to learn how to first of all, rest at the Lord's feet. The secret of that calm and peace and rest and patience and faith and love is that resting in the Lord!—Getting calm before the Lord and praising the Lord and seeking the Lord first. And then you just impart this to the sheep—it's a spirit—you impart that very atmosphere.

5. THIS IS WHY YOU CANNOT EVEN MAKE A MOVE UNTIL YOU FIRST HAVE FOUND THAT PLACE OF REST AND CALM AND SWEET PEACE IN THE LORD, and have set down and played your pipe to the Lord. It's all a spiritual thing. If you try to do it in the flesh, you might as well quit. Your own flesh will get you down. That sweet rest is a sign of real faith, which brings patience. As your harp begins to play sweet music, it communicates to the sheep. Our music has communicated more to these sheep than anything else. We comfort others with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted.