Why, therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong--
Or others--that we are not always strong;
That we are ever overborne with care;
That we should ever weak or heartless be,
Anxious or troubled, then with us in prayer,
And joy and strength and courage are with Thee!

--_Richard Chenevix Trench_

CHAPTER THREE

[Illustration]

="He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for his
name's sake."=

David, the shepherd Psalmist, is doubtless thinking of the refreshment
that comes to the soul from browsing or meditating in the green pastures
and by the still waters of the Word of God, and of the exhilaration and
inspiration that comes from being alone with God with an open Bible and
on bended knee. Every true child of God knows the strength and blessing
that comes from such fellowship and communion. "Even the youths shall
faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but they that
wait upon the +LORD+ shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall
walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:30, 31).

But the Psalmist is referring more particularly, perhaps, to the
restoration of the soul from a spiritual lapse or backsliding,
resulting from failure to "lie down." We well know from what we have
read regarding the Oriental shepherd life, that the shepherd must needs
be a physician as well as a guide. A sheep is a most defenceless
creature. A cat, horse, cow or a dog will defend itself--a sheep cannot.
Sheep have a genius for going wrong. A sheep is said to have less brains
than any other animal of its size. If lost, it cannot find its way back
unaided. A dog, a cat, a horse can, but not a sheep. "All we, like
sheep, have gone astray." If the Good Shepherd had not gone after us we
would not have been in the fold today.

Have you ever looked into a sheep's eyes? They look for all the world
like glass eyes. A sheep can see practically nothing beyond ten or
fifteen yards. It recognizes persons by sound and not by sight. Jesus
said, "My sheep hear my voice; a stranger will they not follow, for they
know not the voice of strangers."

=_Traps for Falling_=

Palestinian fields were covered with narrow criss-cross paths over which
the shepherd would have to lead his flock in seeking new pasture. Some
of these paths led to a precipice or deep ravine over which a stupid