This is Part II of a 4 Part series on the 23rd Psalm. Parts 3 and 4 will post soon!
To review Part 1, click here. Without further delay, here is Part 2:
Verse Two Reads: He lets me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside quiet waters.
It is important to notice the historical references here in this verse. In the dry, rocky, hot climate that is so prevalent in Palestine, it is easy to see how the writer looks at the still waters and green pastures as a blessing. Who wouldn't rather be on a gentle hillside near a smoothly flowing brook as opposed to being in such a busy place as the Chicago area? Often my soul desires to get away and to rest. The Lord does this for us.
I want you to picture, just for a moment, a flock of sheep being led by their shepherd for the first time to a new grazing area. For weeks or even months the flock has been in one area and therefore chewed it down considerably. Now the shepherd leads them to a new pasture and a new water supply. I’m not saying lambs can leap for joy at the peaceful setting of fresh food and water, but wouldn’t you be? Now picture yourself walking with a guide. You walk out of the desert where we find in our lives so often and then he sweeps his hand across the horizon, showing you the peace and joy that he’s prepared for you.
We are all busy. This doesn’t change the fact that there is a certain peace to be found in God. Even if it’s a few minutes of listening prayer or just sitting on your lawn chair in the back yard with no disruptions or noise, there is peace to be found. God sweeps his hand across the horizon to show his people the pasture land and the flowing waters of rest. Even Jesus had to get away from the busyness of life every now and again. He didn’t retreat to his house, or the synagogue, but to nature.
This contrasts heavily with the Christian idea that rest is a far-off reward. We think of rest as the final “going to sleep” when we pass from this life and enter a new one in heaven. Yes, that is peace, and to the believer, that is the ultimate rest. However, God doesn’t just reserve his peace for those who are asleep. This passage clearly offers it for us as well.
How many people do you come in contact with at work, in your home, or at social functions that could really use the stillness that God provides? In many cases, there is only one way they will ever get it, and that’s by you telling them. When you encounter the next stressful event at work let yourself see the needs of your coworkers. And maybe you’re the one who needs the peace. Whether you believe in Christ as your savior and lord or if you have not accepted him into your heart yet, you probably still crave the peace that only He can give in your workplace. There is ample opportunity to open the dialogue with God that will allow peace to come.
To review Part 1, click here. Without further delay, here is Part 2:
Verse Two Reads: He lets me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside quiet waters.
It is important to notice the historical references here in this verse. In the dry, rocky, hot climate that is so prevalent in Palestine, it is easy to see how the writer looks at the still waters and green pastures as a blessing. Who wouldn't rather be on a gentle hillside near a smoothly flowing brook as opposed to being in such a busy place as the Chicago area? Often my soul desires to get away and to rest. The Lord does this for us.
I want you to picture, just for a moment, a flock of sheep being led by their shepherd for the first time to a new grazing area. For weeks or even months the flock has been in one area and therefore chewed it down considerably. Now the shepherd leads them to a new pasture and a new water supply. I’m not saying lambs can leap for joy at the peaceful setting of fresh food and water, but wouldn’t you be? Now picture yourself walking with a guide. You walk out of the desert where we find in our lives so often and then he sweeps his hand across the horizon, showing you the peace and joy that he’s prepared for you.
We are all busy. This doesn’t change the fact that there is a certain peace to be found in God. Even if it’s a few minutes of listening prayer or just sitting on your lawn chair in the back yard with no disruptions or noise, there is peace to be found. God sweeps his hand across the horizon to show his people the pasture land and the flowing waters of rest. Even Jesus had to get away from the busyness of life every now and again. He didn’t retreat to his house, or the synagogue, but to nature.
This contrasts heavily with the Christian idea that rest is a far-off reward. We think of rest as the final “going to sleep” when we pass from this life and enter a new one in heaven. Yes, that is peace, and to the believer, that is the ultimate rest. However, God doesn’t just reserve his peace for those who are asleep. This passage clearly offers it for us as well.
How many people do you come in contact with at work, in your home, or at social functions that could really use the stillness that God provides? In many cases, there is only one way they will ever get it, and that’s by you telling them. When you encounter the next stressful event at work let yourself see the needs of your coworkers. And maybe you’re the one who needs the peace. Whether you believe in Christ as your savior and lord or if you have not accepted him into your heart yet, you probably still crave the peace that only He can give in your workplace. There is ample opportunity to open the dialogue with God that will allow peace to come.
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