By: Dr. Steven K. Parker
Reflection on the week:
· Have you experienced God’s presence in a special way this week?
· How do you think God might be working in your story?
Approaching God’s word: Spend a few moments in silent prayer and meditation, asking God to open your heart to His word for you.
Reading the text: If you missed this week’s message, you can access it here. Spend some time today meditating on the beautiful words of this prayerful song. Focus on the words, “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul,” as you read today.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even 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.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23)
Reflection on the passage:
Why would sheep need to be made to lie down in green pastures and be led beside still waters?
What does that look like in our walk with the LORD?
Pastoral Thoughts:
The progression of this Psalm is such a beautiful picture of God’s providence and protection for His people. First, we acknowledge that God is our shepherd. Once that’s been established, we affirm that God really will provide everything we need. The next lines reveal a little more about what that Providence looks like: “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
Notice that the Psalmist says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” The shepherd knows when the flock has grazed their full and needs to get off their feet for a while, for the good of their own health, and he makes them lie down. In the scriptures the LORD doesn’t suggest regular rest. He commands it. Woven into the law, from the very origins of Israel’s history, was the command to set apart the Sabbath day and keep it holy. In the NT, Jesus combats the ridiculous, life-denying Sabbath practices of the religious leaders, but He affirms the importance of this command saying, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was made for man. It is for our good. God knows that we need time to chew on and digest His word and that we can’t do that on the fly. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” As we read through the 23rd Psalm, reflecting on the nature of true worship we find a summons to do that, by being more faithful to honor the Sabbath command. We find a calling in this Psalm to worship regularly by ceasing our productivity and focusing upon God as our provider and sustainer. In worship, we step back from our striving and shift our attention to the Good Shepherd who “makes us lie down in green pastures.”
The Psalmist says that the LORD is like a shepherd, tenderly watering His flock. Jesus embraces this great metaphor saying, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). In worship we find that drink that we need desperately. The Good Shepherd who waters His thirsty flock also “restores our soul.” In the midst of our hectic lives, the LORD allows us to catch our breath. He picks us up when we are at the end of our rope and fills us with new hope. Through meditating on the scriptures, saturating our lives with prayer, worshiping in God’s presence, fellowshipping with God’s people, and practicing the discipline of Sabbath rest, our Good Shepherd leads us beside quiet waters and there, as we cry out to God in praise, He restores our soul.
Further Reflection:
● Why is Sabbath such a difficult discipline for so many of us?
● How does God use spiritual disciplines like prayer and scripture reading to “restore our soul?”
● How can we experience this promise throughout our week?
● Spend some time asking God to make us “lie down in green pastures,” “lead us beside quiet waters,” and “restore our soul.”
Praying together:
LORD, thank you for being our Good Shepherd. Thank you for providing everything we need to experience rest and spiritual nourishment. Forgive us for times when we become so enamored with our own productivity that we forget the need to rely on you. Teach us the importance of Sabbath, physical and spiritual rest, re-creation, and renewal. Amen.
Looking ahead:
We hope you’ll join us for worship on Sunday as we continue this study on the 23rd Psalm titled: Following the Good Shepherd in Tumultuous Times, considering how God guides us in His righteous paths. Please pray for our church’s leadership as we make decisions regarding the timing of our re-launch of in-person services. If you are feeling the need for face-to-face contact and want to be a part of our pre-re-launch services, please call the church office at 956-968-9585 and we will do our best to accommodate you.