Daily Devotions for Difficult Times [15] Green Pastures

"He makes me lie down in Green Pastures"

Psalm 23:2

Widening our Vision

One of my habits of reading is to expand my understanding of human life. Each of us has been shaped by a narrow sliver of human experience. Generally, we are born in one city, into one class of society, have lived mainly in one country or culture, undertaken one career, and so on. Few people span, by upbringing, employment or experience, even two cultures or social classes, let alone the vast spectrum of human practice found across the globe.

Each of us, to put it another way, lives in one small ghetto.

Reading the lives of people different from us - or better still, spending time with them - helps to bridge the gap.

I say all of this, because without outside help, I don't really understand this verse. When I see sheep on an English mountainside I see them eating green grass and that seems to be the important thing - food - not lying down on the grass.

I would have expected David to say "He leads me to green pastures for food." And indeed he does mean food here, but he means more.

The Need for Rest

This is where a shepherd's wider experience comes in. Instead of me trying to understand what all this lying on the grass means, I shall ask a shepherd.

Right away shepherd MacMillan tells me that while sheep need rest it's hard to get them to lie down. That's why Psalm 23 talks about God making us lie down.

So there are two truths in today's line, the need for good nourishing food, but first, the need for rest.

Apparently, and I am relying on Douglas MacMillan's shepherdly expertise here, there are at least four reasons a sheep won't lie down, won't rest.

Fear is the first. If there is anything unusual around the flock - a new person, a strange animal, a car, whatever - they will not rest. How often Jesus said to his disciples "fear not" when they had to face  unfamiliar cicumstances.  He says "fear not" to us too. By his Spirit, the Lord Jesus is with us, so let us fear not.

"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you, 
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
 (Isaiah 41:10)

Agro from other sheep is a second reason sheep won't sleep. There are bully-boy sheep who are constantly stirring up their fellow sheep, butting this one here, chasing that one there. To solve this problem, the Good Shepherd has commanded Christian sheep in a flock to cold-shoulder divisive sheep  (Romans 16:17) and he has commanded his undershepherds to rebuke them (Titus  3:10). Once the bully-sheep are dealt with, the flock can, once more, "lie down in green patures."

Flies and insects are the third reason a sheep can't rest. Buzzing around the head, a sheep can be driven  to utter distraction by these little critters. We too can be disturbed by little things, little issues, which whizz around our minds. The Shepherd's divine repellent for fly-like anxieties is to bring them to God in prayer, making sure those prayers are sprinkled with thanksgiving.

Hungry sheep can't rest, that's the fourth reason. Which brings us to the food of green pastures.

But not so quickly. God wants his sheep to rest. He created the Seventh Day for that purpose. That day of rest, in turn, points to the spiritual rest God gives us when we turn to him in faith and repentance. We are not saved by our works, but by trusting - resting - in Jesus' finished work.

And then as we journey along the path, God wants us to rest in him every day. Not to be fearful, stirred-up, troubled or hungry sheep, but to lie down in green pastures.

Perhaps one of my readers doesn't yet experience the rest of salvation. Jesus calls you to himself today!

 "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Green Pastures for the Soul

Green Pastures speak of spiritual food, food for the soul. And that spiritual food is the Word of God. "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). Put simply our souls are nourished by the Word: the Word read, by the Word preached and by the Word sung.

Just the other day I was listening to a sermon by Timothy Keller on Psalm 88 preached at Holy Trinity Brompton Church  in 2018 (see it on YouTube).  It fed my soul.

Saturday is my day off. But you know something, if I do not read my Bible in the morning, by noon I feel empty and weary and spiritually dry, not to mention more irritable than normal!

We need to feed on God's Word.

One day a sheep jumped down onto a ledge where lush green grass was growing. Unfortunately the sheep couldn't get back up.  Once the grass had been eaten, the sheep died. The shepherd discovered a dry knotted ball of grass in the sheep's stomach. The sheep didn't have any water, so it could not properly digest the good green grass.

Tomorrow we discover that as well as green pastures, sheep need still waters......

A SONG FOR THE DAY
Our song for the day is about the promises of Scripture on which we can stand - which means on which we can rely - in every different cirumstance of life.

From the breaking of the dawn to the setting of the sun,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Words of power, strong to save, that will never pass away,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
For Your covenant is sure,
And on this I am secure—
I can stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

When I stumble and I sin, condemnation pressing in,

I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
You are faithful to forgive that in freedom I might live,
So I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Guilt to innocence restored,
You remember sins no more—
So I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

When I'm faced with anguished choice, I will listen for Your voice,

And I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Through this dark and troubled land
You will guide me with Your hand
As I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
And You've promised to complete
Ev'ry work begun in me—
So I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

Hope that lifts me from despair, love that casts out ev'ry fear,
As I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Not forsaken, not alone, for the Comforter has come,
And I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Grace sufficient, grace for me,
Grace for all who will believe—
We will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

You can hear it HERE.

A PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Our loving Father in heaven,

We thank you for the supreme blessing of spiritual rest. We thank you that we do not need to do good works in order to be saved. We thank you that through the perfect life and the atoning death of the Good Shepherd, the work of salvation is completed. 

Help us to remember, again and again, his words on the cross "It is finished."

We thank you for your holy Word. Help us to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word so that by it we may grow up in our slavation, now that we have tasted that the Lord is good.

Make us to lie down in your green pastures, for we ask these things in Jesus' Name.

Amen.