February 26

Tell me, O one I love, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions? If you do not know, O fairest of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your young goats near the tents of the shepherds. — Song 1:7-8 BSB

If you desire to know Christ for yourself and enjoy His presence and love, the Lord gives two directions to attain these blessings:

1. Walk in the footsteps of the flock, following the path that the saints of old have walked—the path of tribulation and faith.
2. If you are fortunate enough to live near the shepherds’ tents and can hear the gospel preached in its purity and power, bring your burdens with you, and lay them down beside the tent to feed on the rich nourishment there.

If you come to the shepherds’ tents with a prayerful spirit and a hungry soul, asking God to open your heart and bless His Word to you, sooner or later, you will find food and rest. These two blessings go hand in hand. If you’re hungry, you’ll go where food is offered. If you’re weary, you’ll go where rest is found. You won’t find either in the world. But as you find food and rest beside the shepherds’ tents, you will realize that it is truly Jesus Himself who feeds and gives rest. The shepherds are merely servants; Christ is the Bridegroom. He alone has the Bride, and His joy is to bring the sheep to Himself for nourishment and rest.