Jacob Glassner

I was counting sheep the other night, and it struck me as a strange way to try to fall asleep. I usually imagine white fluffy cartoon sheep with toothy smiles on their faces as they jump over my footboard. I’m not sure why I don’t imagine real sheep, but I think it might be because Bert and Ernie introduced me to the age-old sleep remedy when I was a kid.

Sometimes counting sheep works, but I usually end up losing track of my herd and thinking about something else—like what to write for my upcoming column. I did a little research (cough, cough, Wikipedia), and the idea behind counting sheep is to induce boredom while occupying the mind with something simple and repetitive.

Isn’t it odd that the very thing shepherds are supposed to do—count sheep—is what we do to try to go to sleep. Their job is the very definition of sleep-inducing boredom.

And yet—yes, I’m going somewhere with this—all throughout the Bible, God most often speaks to shepherds.

Abraham was a shepherd. Joseph was a shepherd. So were Moses and David. God even announced the birth of the Jesus to shepherds. So many of the great men of the Bible were shepherds.

Maybe God spoke to shepherds so often because there really weren’t that many professions back then. The standard ancient tax form probably had about five checkboxes for professions: farmer, shepherd, fisherman, carpenter, other.

But I think there’s more to it. Maybe God spoke to shepherds because they had time to listen.

Imagine sitting outside by yourself for days on end with a bunch of dumb animals. The boredom and loneliness would be overwhelming. If you didn’t end up going mad and talking to yourself, you’d probably spend some time talking to God—but not just talking; you’d also have plenty of quiet hours to listen for the Creator’s still, small voice.

David didn’t just pray for a few minutes in the morning or before he went to sleep. As he watched his sheep, he walked and talked with God. He knew the voice of the Almighty.

I can see David sitting under an oak tree, strumming his lyre and singing praises to God: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2).  

In those still, quiet hours, God told David many things. He even told him about the Messiah and how He would have to suffer: “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment” (Psalm 22:16-18).

And while David was shepherding his herd, God was shepherding David, guiding and directing him: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3 KJV).

How can you hear God’s voice and receive his guidance? You have to spend time with Him alone.

Most of us don’t have the luxury of sitting around doing nothing at our jobs. In our busy world, it takes effort to find some alone time, but finding time to herd some sheep is worth it.

“‘But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you’” (Matthew 6:6 NLT).