2. When have you been literally lost? How did you find your way? Have you ever temporarily lost sight of your young children at a store? How did you feel when that happened?

3. A competent shepherd works hard to take care of the needs of his flock, from finding lost sheep to providing protection and food. In today’s lesson we will see how God is the Great Shepherd to us.

4. The Great Shepherd Ezekiel 34:1-31 family theme: God is the Shepherd family theme: God is the Shepherd

5. Know: Shepherds and their flocks were common sights in the everyday world of biblical Israel. Scripture likens God to a shepherd because He provides for, leads, protects, and rescues His people. Objectives:

6. Think: Realize that, like sheep, we have deep needs. God alone can meet these needs through our relationship with Him as our Shepherd. Do: Trust our Shepherd to lead you and provide all your needs. Follow His example of compassionate, nurturing, selfless care for others. Objectives:

7. God, Our Shepherd, Provides for Us Psalm 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34:13-15, 29

8. God’s care and provision for us demonstrate that He is a personal, spiritual being who loves and relates to us.

9. God, Our Shepherd, Provides for Us In that role He also gives us His word of wisdom to comfort and stabilize, and to convict us.

10. Trust God to provide what we need to do His will. Give an example of a specific situation (recently, if possible) when you had to depend on God to provide—and He did! What did you learn about God from that experience? About yourself?

11. God, Our Shepherd, Leads Us Psalm 23:1-3

13. God, Our Shepherd, Leads Us Our Good Shepherd understands our tendency to stray from true paths. Nevertheless, He faithfully leads us along the choicest of paths to places for feeding, rest, and renewal.

14. Follow the Lord as He leads us through His Word and His Spirit. How do you decide between two or more choices when none of them are really a wrong way to go?

15. Follow the Lord as He leads us through His Word and His Spirit. What are some indicators God uses in our lives to signal His guidance— signposts that direct us along the path of His will?

16. Follow the Lord as He leads us through His Word and His Spirit. What are some “red flags” that may warn us we’re in danger of heading in the wrong direction, that this choice may not be God’s will for us?

17. God, Our Shepherd, Protect Us Psalm 23:4; Ezekiel 34:28

18. As special creations of God, He takes particular interest in caring for us and helping us accomplish what He designed us to do—have a personal relationship with Him.

19. God, Our Shepherd, Protects Us Our Good Shepherd, the Lord, defends His flock from danger. The Ruler Shepherd, the Lord, will keep His sheep securely. The sheep will pass under His rod as He counts them to be sure they are safe.

20. Our Lord protects us as we obey His Word and trust in Him. How do a father and mother guard their young child from dangers that threaten him or her? What does God use to protect us from predators that threaten our spiritual lives?

21. God, Our Shepherd, Rescues Us Psalm 23:3; Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16, 21-22

22. God, Our Shepherd, Rescues Us The Lord, as the Ruler Shepherd, seeks His straying sheep, rescues those threatened by danger, gathers the ones scattered, heals the injured, and strengthens the weak of the flock.

23. Cry out to God when facing difficulty, trusting Him to get us through. From what difficulties and situations do Christians need to be rescued or restored? What Bible stories bolster our trust in God to rescue and restore?

24. What are some specific dangers, threats, or “predators” Satan uses to attack us, and from which we need God’s protection? Which of these threats or predators do you need protection from this week?

25. Available for FREE download at D6home.com Home Connection is a simple, downloadable page that gives parents: A weekly Bible passage to READ together as a family Suggestions to help them PRAY together as a family Suggested activities to DO to put their faith in action

26. Home Connection also provides the “take away” from each age level in D6 Curriculum. This way parents know what each family member is experiencing in his or her class. Download your free copy of Home Connection at D6home.com