Meditating on a name of God in the Bible: Shepherd, Rock, Father...
In the Bible, a name doesn't just designate: it says who someone is. God reveals himself through many images: he is shepherd, rock, father, light, refuge, shield. This quest invites you to choose one of these names and meditate on it as you read.
What it looks like in your day
Here are three names to begin with, with specific passages where you can find them:
- Shepherd. Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd"); John 10:11 ("I am the good shepherd"). A shepherd leads, feeds, protects, seeks the lost sheep.
- Rock. Psalm 18:2 ("The Lord is my rock, and my fortress"). A rock is stable, it offers shelter, it doesn't move when everything shakes.
- Father. Psalm 103:13 ("Like as a father pitieth his children"). A father gives life, takes care, corrects with love, forgives.
Other names are possible: Light, Refuge, Shield, Rock of Israel, Bridegroom, King, Judge.
Here is a method in four steps:
- Choose a name and read a passage where it appears.
- Picture the image. What does a shepherd look like? What does it mean, concretely, to be his sheep?
- Look for what it changes for you today. Where do I need a shepherd? A rock? A father?
- Pray from this name. "Lord, you are my rock: I need you to hold on through this unsteady week."
If you are in a hurry, one name and one verse are enough. If you had a difficult father, the name "Father" may take time: start with another name and come back to it later. If you are shy, simply note the name and one sentence.
What the Bible says
Here is the declaration of David, the former shepherd turned king:
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
A series of images in a row: rock, fortress, deliverer, buckler, high tower. Each speaks of a different protection. Choose the one that answers what you are living today. Jesus takes up the image of the shepherd:
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
A good shepherd gives his life for the sheep: this image took on, with Jesus, an infinite weight. And the psalmist describes God's love with the image of the father:
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.”
A father who pities: the image is gentle, and it is said of a God who is infinitely great. That is the tension of the whole Bible: the Almighty is also the nearest.
Pitfalls to avoid
Reducing God to one image. No image says everything about him. Shepherd, rock, father, these are windows. Keep them together and let each correct the others.
Projecting your wounds. If your father was absent or violent, "Father" can awaken pain. You don't have to force yourself: start with another image, and let God show you, at his pace, what a true father is.
Making up a name. The Bible doesn't say that God is "whatever we want." Stay with the names and images the text uses, and check in the passage.
Forgetting the image's context. A "shepherd" in a hill country is not a modern sheep dealer. Read the context: what did a shepherd do back then? What did he risk?
Looking for an experience. You don't have to feel anything. Meditation is looking, letting the words work, and coming back.
Today, choose a name: Shepherd, Rock or Father. Read a passage, then say to him: "You are my...", adding what he is for you today.