"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep... equip you to do His will."   

                                                                                                      - Hebrews 13:20

Have you ever spent time around sheep? The little lambs are cuddly and cute, but the mammas and papas are something else - smelly, obstinate, bull-headed and obstreperous. The fact is that of all the creatures that God ever created, sheep are among the least intelligent. Yet sheep were in the audience that heard the angels sing “Glory to God in the Highest” and sheep are what God likened us to. “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” Psalm 103:3. Sheep, not lions - smelly, weak, and stray quickly without a shepherd.  Have you thought of the similarities between sheep and people?  Sheep are frankly stupid…  Sheep will follow almost anything that moves -a human, another sheep, even a rogue sheep who will lead them astray. Ever ask yourself, “How in the world could so-and-so [mention a friend’s name] fall for that line and get involved in that stuff?” Did they just shut off their brain?

There’s another parallel which speaks volumes. Sheep are “dead meat,” prey for the wolves without the protection of a shepherd, and, frankly, so are people.  “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus told His followers. The writer of the book of Hebrews calls Jesus, “The Great Shepherd.” Peter calls Him, “The Chief Shepherd.” Shepherds lead, protect, defend, nurture, and comfort when fear panics the flock. The most important thing the shepherd does is to go looking for the lost sheep to lead us back to safety. How amazing that our God is intimately concerned with those who have strayed from His fold. When He (the Good Shepherd) finds the sheep in Luke 15:5, "He joyfully puts it on his shoulders" and carries the sheep all the way home. Likewise, Christ stands ready to take on all our burdens, whether physical infirmities, heartbreaks, or worries. He has shoulders capable of bearing any weight we are willing to give up to Him. Your burdens become His burdens as you rest in Him. 

Christ pursues us, saves us, carries us, and rejoices over us. Luke 15:6 says the shepherd then "calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'"
He’ll be there. He’s as close as your cry.