A Journey Through Psalm 23 Pt 5

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Verse 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

So why do the Psalm 23 sheep appear relaxed and satisfied?

• The Shepherd frees the sheep from fear simply because of His relational and calming presence.
• He walks amongst the sheep
• He knows every sheep by name and they know His voice.
• He is compassionate, He gives tender care, giving the sheep confidence and assurance of His permanent and personal protection.

As the people of God, we can have confidence in His active, lively and energetic presence. There are no conditions for us to meet, or even to believe; for Jesus Christ is with us.

It's ok to stop. It's ok to breathe. Stop worrying and fretting. The Lord is on Your side!

 

What are the "green pastures?" | They are symbolic of the Scriptures - always fresh, always rich and never exhausted.

What position are we to take?  | We are to lie down (v2a) - Lying down represents time. If we are going to draw life and nourishment from the Word of God we must give time to our Bibles. He is calling the sheep to REST!

Who prepared the "green pastures?" | The Shepherd chooses the pasture for us. We choose how much, and what to eat - God has revelation & nourishment for you!!!

I can boldly say, I am under the expert management, and compassionate, tender care of the Good Shepherd!

For full episode notes head to hz.church/podcast