Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Attr. to Dorothy A. Thrupp, text from http://www.songsandhymns.org/

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
for our use Thy folds prepare.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
seek us when we go astray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Hear, O hear us when we pray.

Thou hast promised to receive us,
poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
grace to cleanse and power to free.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Let us early turn to Thee.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Let us early turn to Thee.

Early let us seek Thy favor,
early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Savior,
with Thy love our bosoms fill.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus! Thou hast loved us, love us still.

• Jesus spoke of himself as a shepherd and of his followers as sheep. In verse 1, the hymn writer explains why that image works. Can you find five different reason that Christians need Jesus?
• Some Christians think very highly of themselves and imply that being a Christian means that a person is better in some way than people who are not Christians. How does the hymn writer debunk that notion?
• Many novels include characters who feel guilty, even when they are not quite sure why. Readers find this situation to be quite credible. How does the hymn writer explain this situation, and what does she consider the solution to be?
• Human beings fail to thrive at any age, newborn or geriatric, if they feel unloved. Feeling abused and abandoned, the psalmist wrote, “If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up.” Psalm 27:10 How does the writer of this hymn express the same sentiment?