When my grandma was a little girl in the 1940s, she lived on a farm in Bothell, Washington. Today, Bothell is a cute suburb of Seattle with plenty of dog parks and coffee shops, but at that time, much of it was orchards and farmland. Considering this, perhaps it’s not so strange that my grandma had a pet goat. She loved that animal. Her goat would follow her all around the property and sometimes even into the house. Eighty years later, my grandma still talks about her sweet goat. Though she was young, she took her job of caring for that goat seriously not just because it was her responsibility, but because she loved it. Likewise, the goat knew he was cared for, so following little Joan was not a chore, but something he delighted in.

The metaphor of a shepherd and his sheep is one that God frequently uses throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, prophets voice the call of the Shepherd to His sheep. They speak forth His promise to bring His sheep back to Him. In the New Testament, Jesus calls Himself the “Good Shepherd.” He pursues the lost sheep, creates safe space for His flock, and lays down His life for them. What comes out of this relationship is a deep knowing. Jesus already knows His sheep, but as the sheep choose to follow Him, they come to recognize the voice of the Shepherd as well.

This sense of knowing is shared in the famous shepherd poem, Psalm 23. The psalmist begins with a simple truth: “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” In most of the Old Testament, shepherding language is spoken collectively over the nation of Israel. Here, however, it’s a personal relationship. “The Lord is my shepherd.” Yes, we are each one of many sheep and, yes, we must understand that we are designed to exist as a flock. Yet, we must not miss the intimacy of this word. God knows you. He understands you. As my grandma had a special relationship with her favorite goat, He sees you as a unique and worthy individual. Because He is a personal Shepherd, He knows what you need. Be it anxiety, worry, emptiness, insecurity, fear, or another symptom of false self, the deep need this creates is already met in Him. Wholeness, healing, security, value, identity, the things that make up the core of who we are, they are all found in Him. When these needs are met, everything else feels less overwhelming. Life is put into perspective. That is just one of the blessings of being a sheep of the Good Shepherd. Like a little girl and her goat, we belong. I am the Shepherd’s, and He is mine.

Engage

• What are the characteristics you associate with Jesus as the Good Shepherd?
• How is He already meeting your needs?
• What does it mean to you to have a personal Shepherd?

Supporting Scripture:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need” (Psalm 23:1).

Photo: GlobalP/Getty | This article was originally titled “Grandma’s Goat” in the August 2026 issue of The War Cry.