The Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd

🛐 Daily Prayer: "the good shepherd, might lay down his life for us and redeem us from wrath."

Author

SpurgeonBooks
May 05, 2025

Pray with Spurgeon

Daily Newsletter from SpurgeonBooks

This week, our prayers and Scripture readings each day will focus on Christ our good shepherd. Next week, we’ll highlight a different theme. Invite a friend to pray with you by sending them this link.

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Our first cry today shall be one of gratitude to you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, that he, as the good shepherd, might lay down his life for us and redeem us from wrath. Oh, we have joy in God today, a deep fathomless joy; but it is through Jesus Christ, by whom also we have received the atonement. We come not unto you Father, except by him; and coming by him, we bless the Father that he has given his Son to die for us that we might live through him. This is the center of all history to us. This is the light of every day, and the star of every night; the life of our life, and the light of our delight, our entrance into heaven—that he loved me and gave himself for me.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant…” (Hebrews 13:20)

He is not the great shepherd when he dies; he is the good shepherd. He is the great shepherd when he is brought again from the dead. In resurrection you perceive his greatness. He lies in the grave slumbering; he is the good shepherd then, having laid down his life for the sheep. Life appears again in him, the stone is rolled away, the watchmen are seized with terror, and he comes out the risen one, no more the dying—now he is the great Shepherd.

In the covenant we are the sheep; the Lord Jesus is the shepherd. You cannot make a covenant with sheep—they have not the ability to make a covenant. But you can make a covenant with the shepherd for them, and so, glory be to God, though we had gone astray like lost sheep, we belonged to Jesus. He made a covenant on our behalf, and stood for us before the living God.

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS

This week, we’re praying for the Zaghawa of Chad.

This ethnic group with an estimated population of 183,000–200,000 has no Christians among them. There is no Bible in their language or a church that they could attend. They have no way of hearing about Jesus unless someone brings the gospel from the outside.

Pray that God would send missionaries to the Zaghawa

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

What does it mean for Christ to be our shepherd?

Psalm 23 is one of the most well-known and treasured passages of Scripture. And for good reason — it’s an incredible description of God’s care for his people. However, often our familiarity with passages like Psalm can be a hindrance to seeing how wonderful these texts really are. We need to help to see Psalm 23 with fresh eyes.

The Lord of Psalm 23 by David Gibson is a great guide to help you plunge new depths and see new glories in this beloved psalm. If you want to better trust and treasure Jesus as your good shepherd, this book is a great resource. I can’t wait to hear how God uses it in your life.

LAST WORD FROM SPURGEON

“Can there be happier news for you than that the good Shepherd is always with you?” — Charles Spurgeon