There’s something absolutely wonderful about Psalm 23, don’t
you think? It was brought back to mind for me last week and it has been
something that has been guiding my prayers. There’s so much goodness in this
passage, but I just want to focus on one part today...the bolded part.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in
want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of
death,a
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
I love that it is, at least in this translation, that the
Lord makes the writer lie down in
green pastures. So often I feel we need to be forced to take a break and to
rest by quiet waters so that our souls can be restored. So often we feel as
though we shouldn’t need to break, we should always have the strength we need
without actually having to fuel up again. From my own life I have realized that
this doesn’t really work too well for me. As I was thinking about this Psalm
and about what it means for me as I move forward in my walk with Christ I just
had this image pop into my head and I thought I would share it with you all.
Teresa walked tentatively along the luscious green grass, stepping
slowly and letting her feet drag slightly as she walked. The cool grass felt
wonderful on her bare feet and she was aware of each blade touching the bottom
of her feet. The sunlight poured down and warmed her face and the breeze
lightly danced twirling around the wisps of her curly hair that had escaped
from her ponytail. She stood, her face toward the sun, with her eyes closed and
her shoulders back but relaxed. She could hear the gurgling of a brook nearby
and the thought of it refreshed her. She listened to the sounds around her, the
wind in the trees, the brook, the birds, and her breathing, slow and steady.
She breathed in deeply and headed softly and slowly toward the sound of the
brook.
As she approached the brook the space around her opened up,
a large expanse of open field ran along one side of the brook. The trees shrunk
back and the sun beamed brightly on the grass, making the green more deep and
brilliant than anything Teresa had ever seen before. A smile stretched across
her face and she leaned down to roll up her pant legs so that she could dip her
feet into the inviting water. As she walked along in the refreshing water she
felt the weight that had been present on her heart at the beginning of the day
melt away. She felt a peace overwhelm her that she could not explain. Teresa
climbed out of the water and sat on the grass staring down the brook and into
the lush wilderness surrounding this oasis. Her feet soaked in the warmth of
the sun after being cooled off in the water. Teresa closed her eyes and lifted
her face toward the sun and smiled. She had not wanted to come here this
morning. She had so much to do, so much that needed to be done and she knew
that she could push through it, get it all done and be fine with that. She had
put this off for so long, because each time she would accomplish all the things
that life had handed to her she would wake up the next morning and life would
have just piled more things to be accomplished on her desk. Yet something this
morning prompted and urged her to put off those things and to go find rest. She
knew that her Father had called her there, she knew that it was Him that told
her that enough was enough. She needed to go to Him and find strength and rejuvenation
in His presence. He led her to this place with a promise to restore her soul,
and He had.
She knew that He was there, surrounding her with His peace
and protection. That he was making her lie down in green pastures, leading her
by still waters and restoring her soul. She had forgotten the peace that she
found in His presence when she sought it, sometimes it was a peace that filled
her soul and sometimes it was a reminder of the peace that she knew He provided.
He always knew her need and always provided in His perfect timing.
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