Before you Lead, Learn to Follow

By John Houston

Our world today is crying out in pain. Whether it’s the pain of a pandemic, the pain of injustice, or the pain of violence – it’s clear that our world needs a remedy for this pain. I believe that remedy starts with humble, yet strong leadership founded on the Word of God. This is something that every Christian can do to help. We are all leaders within our sphere of influence, and it’s time to show up in our world and lead in love and humility! One thing I have come to learn in my own life is that before you can lead well, you have to know how to follow. Most of what I’ve learned about being a leader comes from knowing how to follow the Great Shepherd as shown in Psalm 23. In this Psalm, David speaks about the Lord as a Great Shepherd who cares for his flock. Here’s what I’ve learned from the Great Shepherd about being a great leader by first being a humble follower:

A good follower learns to be content.

V. 1 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

I love the way this chapter starts. When you truly believe that the Lord is the one guiding your life, it helps you take the posture of contentment. The better I learn to follow the Lord, the more I believe this to be true; that I really don’t lack anything. I can remember times in my past when I didn’t follow the Lord as closely, and I really struggled to feel content. I thought chasing after money would provide more contentment in my life. If we get caught up in the worldly order of things, we will find that there’s a LOT we lack, because the world makes for a really terrible “Shepherd”. If I’m following the US Government and its systems to protect me from a pandemic, I’m going to find a lot that I’m lacking. The truth is, the US government can only do so much to protect against a pandemic. No governments systems are purely just, and if I choose to follow them as my ultimate guide in life, I’ll find holes in these systems where justice is greatly lacking. But if I choose to follow the Lord with all my heart, He changes my perspective. If He is my ultimate provider, protector, and promoter, then I can learn to be content. I lack nothing. Learning to follow the Lord helps me to not panic as a leader. God will make all things right in time, and it’s my job to follow Him faithfully, trusting in Him to care for me the way the Good Shepherd always does.

A good follower chooses peace.

V. 2-4 “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

God fulfills this very promise to the Israelites in the Old Testament when He brings them to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. God knew exactly what the Israelites needed at that time, and He led them to their “green pasture”. And even though they had to trek through the wilderness for 40 years (walked through the darkest valley), they had nothing to fear because God was leading them to somewhere great. God provides for those who follow Him to this day by taking us to our “green pastures”.

One of the things that I didn't know until I started studying sheep is that they can be wanderers. A good shepherd knows what's going on with his sheep all the time.  Shepherds will rise before the sun even comes up to account for all their sheep before the sheep wake up and have a chance to wander. If a sheep does start to wander, it can become very nervous and confused. As soon as the shepherd shows up, the sheep suddenly become more at peace. When we allow ourselves to be led by the Great Shepherd, then even if we are led through dark valleys, we can be at peace knowing we are following the right leader, and we’re going to end up exactly where we want to be.

A good follower knows how to refuel to keep up with the pace.

Sheep need the basics like all of us… food and water. What’s crazy though, is that sheep actually don’t need as much water as you think they do. I learned that they can go months without it, but there is a caveat. They have to rise early enough when there is still dew all over the ground. The dew provides enough water to sustain them. Sometimes, following the Lord is not easy, and in order to keep up the pace and trust Him as we walk through dark valleys, we have to get up early enough to go to the Word and prayer in order to sustain us for the day.

A good follower listens for the leader’s voice.

John 10:27, “My Sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

 them in a good pasture, they hear his voice and they follow him because they know him. Right? Then it says if the enemy or somebody else is talking to them, they don't follow him because they know the difference. That comes with some experience of hearing God's voice and getting used to that.

A good follower is the start to becoming a good leader.

As I was reflecting over Psalm 23 and what it means to follow the Good Shepherd, I believe God gave me a vision of two pastures. There was a fence separating the two pastures. On one side of the fence lay beautiful green pastures with sheep grazing. The sheep were at peace and were among the shepherds. On the other side of the fence was a pasture that looked as if it was dying. There was no life to it at all. 

There were also two pools of water on either side of the fence. The pool of water on the side with the green pasture was pure and clean. The pool of water in the other pasture was dirty and filled with waste. Sheep began to drink from the different pools. 

Then I noticed that the sheep in the life-less pasture were being led by tenant farmers – hired hands that didn’t really own the sheep. Therefore, they did not care for the sheep as their own. They didn’t pay for the sheep and were not invested. But the other side were owned by the shepherd and were very well cared for. This is how Jesus cares for us. He paid the ultimate price for us by giving up his life on the cross and shedding his own blood. That's why Jesus cares for us, his sheep, so perfectly; because it actually cost him something to call us his own.

Learning to follow the Good Shepherd has taught me how to lead as a good shepherd as well.   I want to know the state of my flock and be watching for those who may not be in a good place in life. As leaders, we should be observant of the people we lead. I am always looking out for ones that look stressed or under too much pressure and those are the ones I make a priority to interact with. I want to know they are in a safe environment and if there’s anything I can do to make things better for them, I want to do that. 

As leaders, we also need to be aware of the cost involved to take responsibility for leading the people entrusted to us.  Rather than becoming discouraged by that cost, let’s embrace it. I’m challenged by Christ to humble myself as a leader, and give my life to serve those who I lead. I want to make decisions that improve the lives of those impacted by my leadership. I want to be used by the Good Shepherd to help lead His people to green pastures.