“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2).
When David talked about the Lord’s being his Shepherd, he spoke of a relationship which runs counter to our old nature. Born with the instinct of survival, we want to be in control. Many, if not most, people live with the illusion that they are the “captains of their souls” and the “masters of their fates” when, in reality, they have very little to do with the circumstances which shape their lives and destinies.
Unlike sheep, which do little thinking for themselves, the individual who says “The Lord is my Shepherd” has made a conscious decision to trust the Shepherd. He’s accepted the fact that the Shepherd loves the sheep and would lay down His life for their safety.
In reality, the Great Shepherd knows things which we don’t know. He sees far beyond our obscure, limited vision, and at times He takes us through periods of desolation and drought because He knows that greener pasture lies beyond the desolation. And if the sheep stayed where they were, they would eventually starve without enough food.
It was this which David spoke of when he made four powerful statements which are all found in the best loved passage of the Old Testament, Psalm 23. Here they are: “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:2,3). Think with me on what he says.
David says that some things in life are not my choosing. They are the result of the will of the Shepherd. Enforced rest is never pleasant. Who would not rather be out there in the thick of the battle where the action is? Who enjoys the quietness of a pasture? I’d rather be with the crowd where the bright lights and noisy music beckon. When your plan differs from the Shepherd’s plan, better remind yourself that it is because of His care that He says, “My way is better; trust Me!”
Then David speaks of “the still waters,” but here he reminds us that it is the Shepherd who leads beside the still waters. In the back of my Bible is a clipping containing the thoughts of Andrew Murray, who wrote, “God’s trusting child may say: First: He brought me here; it is by His will I am in this strait place: in that will I rest. Next: He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child. Then: He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Lastly: In His good time, He can bring me out again — how and when, He knows. Say: I am here — (1) By God’s appointment, (2) In His keeping, (3) Under His training, (4) For His time.” How better put it?
The still waters may be unspectacular and not of your design or choosing, but it is at this place you clearly hear the voice of the Shepherd and are comforted by the fact that He has led you there and will lead you out.
Then David said that the Lord restores our souls and leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Shattered emotions, broken marriages, troubled hearts and lives–all of these need healing and restoration, and it is still the work of the Great Shepherd Who brings these about in our lives.
Who would challenge the fact that our greatest need today is for guidance–individually, personally, and collectively? How marvelous to say with the song writer John Gilmore, “He leadeth me! O blessed thought! O words with heav’nly comfort fraught! Whate’er I do, where’er I be, still `tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”
Resource reading: Psalm 23.
