What the Shepherds’ Faith Teaches Us About Responding to God

Picture a young mom scrolling through her phone on the sidelines of soccer practice. A professional rushing between meetings. A grandmother folding laundry in the quiet of her home. Like them, you’re probably going about your everyday routine right now. And that’s exactly where God loves to show up.

When God sent out His Son’s birth announcement, He bypassed the palace courts and religious elite. Instead, He sent His angels down to a group of shepherds, ordinary men doing their ordinary job on an ordinary night.

“And there were shepherds living in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:8-9).

What the Shepherds Knew

How human (and relatable!) their terror was – and how human (and relatable!) our responses often are when God breaks into our routines. We’re masters of hesitation, aren’t we? We question whether we heard Him right. We create mental spreadsheets of pros and cons. Sometimes, we simply pretend we didn’t hear Him at all.

But the shepherds show us a different way: “When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off” (Luke 2:15-16).

In our carefully curated lives with packed schedules, the shepherd’s immediate “yes” to God contrasts our typical hesitation. These humble shepherds teach us something profound about hearing and heeding God’s voice, especially when His calling threatens to rearrange our well-ordered lives.

3 Timeless Truths from the Shepherds’ Response

That night in Bethlehem, the shepherds modeled three ideal qualities every Christian needs when God calls. Their story teaches us about obedience that doesn’t delay, humility that embraces God’s unexpected choices, and urgency that recognizes divine moments. These three lessons can also transform our response to God when He shows up in our ordinary lives.

Truth #1: Immediate Obedience

When God Calls, Don’t Wait.

Like Mary, who responded to the angel’s shocking announcement with “I am the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38), the shepherds demonstrate immediate obedience. As women, we often juggle multiple responsibilities – family, work, home, friends, and volunteer commitments. When God calls, our first instinct might be to say, “Let me finish this project first” or “After the kids are older.”

Practicing immediate obedience looks like this:

• When you feel prompted to pray for someone, don’t wait until you’ve finished your to-do list. Send that text or make that call now. Trust God’s timing and purpose for your message.
• If God invites you to start a Bible study, resist the urge to wait for “perfect timing” with your family schedule.
• When the Holy Spirit convicts you about a behavior or an attitude, begin making changes today. Focus on one small step at a time.
• If called to mentor a younger woman, don’t let insecurity about your imperfections hold you back.

A Question to Pray About: What areas of my life am I hesitating to entrust fully to God?

Truth #2: Humble Acceptance

When God Chooses, Don’t Question

Just as society considered the shepherds lowly back then, many of us struggle with feeling inadequate for God’s calling. Like Esther, who felt unprepared to save her people, or Mary, a young girl from Nazareth chosen to bear the Messiah, God often works through people society might overlook or dismiss.

For the Woman Who Feels Inadequate:

• Your daily moments as a mom matter. When you pray with a scared child at bedtime or explain God’s love over breakfast, you’re building eternal foundations. Like the shepherds who spread the word about Jesus (Luke 2:17), your role is sacred ground for sharing the gospel.
• God strategically placed you in your workplace. Whether leading board meetings or answering phones, you might be the only Jesus some people see today.
• That soup you deliver to new mothers, the holiday table you set for family and friends, the coffee dates where you listen to hurting hearts – these aren’t “just” being nice. Your hospitality creates spaces where God can work deeply in others’ lives.
• Your past struggles and failures don’t disqualify you. They credential you for ministry. Like the woman at the well who told everyone in her village about Jesus, your story of God’s redemption can open doors for authentic conversations with others facing similar battles.

A Question to Pray About: How does my view of my worth align with God’s perspective of me?

Turth #3: Holy Urgency

When God Moves, Don’t Hesitate

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16). The shepherds’ urgency reveals their grasp of a crucial truth: divine opportunities often require an immediate response. Scripture repeatedly demonstrates how God’s timing rarely aligns with human convenience and often requires rearranging our carefully planned schedules.

Making Room for God Moments

• Schedule your days like the shepherds tended their flocks–with watchful readiness. Guard your time by evaluating each commitment through prayer.
• Just as the shepherds were awake and watching when the angels appeared, start your day alert to God’s voice. Claim 10 minutes to read scripture and pray.
• Create deliberate pauses in your schedule. Block out “margin moments” – a free hour between appointments, a lunch break without meetings, an evening without commitments. These become your “field” moments, where, like the shepherds, you’re available when God shows up with unexpected assignments.
• Learn to hold plans loosely. When interruptions come, see them through the lens of divine appointments.

A Question to Pray About: What opportunities might I be missing because I’m waiting for the “perfect” time to act on God’s prompting?

Examining Your Heart Posture

The shepherds’ response invites us to examine our hearts. Are you ready to respond with trust and action when God calls? Or do fear, doubt, or busyness hold you back?

Questions to Think About:

• What “angels” might be trying to get my attention today?
• Which responsibilities feel like “sheep I can’t leave” but might need to be entrusted to God?
• How can I create space in my daily routine for divine interruptions?
• What gifts or abilities have I hesitated to use for God’s kingdom?

Remember: God still delivers life-changing news to ordinary people during ordinary days. He chose Mary, a young woman with plans for a normal life. He chose shepherds, working their routine night shift. And He chooses you – exactly where you are, with all your responsibilities and roles – to be part of His Kingdom plan.

A Prayer for You

Lord, thank You for calling me to be part of Your extraordinary plans. Help me to respond with obedience, humility, and urgency. May my heart be ready to follow Your lead, trusting in Your wisdom and timing. Use me to bring glory to Your name and share Your love with others. Amen.