Psalm 23 Part 2--Where He Leads Me
(If you haven't read Psalm 23 Part 1 yet, you can here.)
Here's the next idea presented in Psalm 23 (verses 2-3a):
"He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul," (NKJV).
(Or you may like this one:)
"He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my self)," (AMP.)
Now keep in mind what we already know about sheep: fearful. panicky. defenseless.
But luckily we have a Shepherd who keeps us calm.
How?
He makes us lie down. Some translations say "He lets me lie down." So, first of all, He knows we need rest. Wait. Stop. Did you hear that? YOU NEED REST. Now, I'm not talking about sleep. (Granted, you're college girls; you DO need sleep. But that's not the point here.) I'm talking about rest. When you're able to look around at your life, your habitat, your environment, and NOT FREAK OUT. Very un-sheeplike. You know you're defenseless, you understand that there are predators everywhere, and you are just as afraid of what you can't see as you are what you can.
BUT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A SHEPHERD who will protect you, keep you from harm, and be with you no matter what. So you lie down. You rest, knowing that you are safe not because you're tough or brave or smart, but because of your Shepherd.
And where do we get to lie down? In green pastures. Grass that is alive and vibrant. It is the nourishment we need. On a purely physical level, I bet He does the same thing for you: He puts healthy foods at your fingertips every day, probably every meal. (Whether or not you choose to eat them is another issue; again, you are college girls!) But there's more to nourishment than food. In John 4 you find the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. (A GREAT narrative, if you haven't read it in a while.) Anyway, Jesus has this entire conversation with a woman at the well while His apostles have gone to get lunch. And when they come back they figure He has to be hungry; after all, He hasn't eaten. So they keep urging Him to eat something. His response: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work," (John 4:34, HCSB.)
We are nourished when we live for Him. When we love. When we serve. When we speak a kind word, hold out a hand, listen to the same sob story for the 100th time. There is something more filling than food: obedience.
THERE IS NO GREATER THRILL THAN WALKING IN GOD'S PATH. In a conversation. In a relationship. In a job. You'll seek His filling more than anything else that could ever make you hungry physically.
Finally, He leads us beside quiet waters. Thirst-quenching, cold, cleansing, fresh, crystal-clear water. Not water that will wash over us, but water that will refresh us. In that same story of the woman at the well (John 4), Jesus asks the woman for some water. She is suspicious, for no self-respecting Jew would ever talk to a Samaritan woman, let alone ask her for water. (The Jews were self-righteous like that. Good thing we never think we're better than someone or some group.) When she questions Him about it, He tells her that "...whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again--ever! In fact, the water I give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life," (John 4:14, HCSB).
Eternal life water. Water that quenches our thirst forever.
You know you've been thirsty...for someone or something that would make you complete. This is the exact water you've been looking for: the water only Jesus can give, and the only water that leads to eternal life.
When we find rest, nourishment, and our thirst is quenched, He restores our souls. We find we are filled with Him, lacking nothing.
Rest.
Eat.
Drink.
You are the sheep of the perfect, almighty, holy Shepherd.
Help me spread my blog! Forward this email to a friend, retweet me (@leslienotebook), or email me personally at myleslienotebook@gmail.com
Here's the next idea presented in Psalm 23 (verses 2-3a):
"He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul," (NKJV).
(Or you may like this one:)
"He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters. He refreshes and restores my life (my self)," (AMP.)
Now keep in mind what we already know about sheep: fearful. panicky. defenseless.
But luckily we have a Shepherd who keeps us calm.
How?
He makes us lie down. Some translations say "He lets me lie down." So, first of all, He knows we need rest. Wait. Stop. Did you hear that? YOU NEED REST. Now, I'm not talking about sleep. (Granted, you're college girls; you DO need sleep. But that's not the point here.) I'm talking about rest. When you're able to look around at your life, your habitat, your environment, and NOT FREAK OUT. Very un-sheeplike. You know you're defenseless, you understand that there are predators everywhere, and you are just as afraid of what you can't see as you are what you can.
BUT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A SHEPHERD who will protect you, keep you from harm, and be with you no matter what. So you lie down. You rest, knowing that you are safe not because you're tough or brave or smart, but because of your Shepherd.
And where do we get to lie down? In green pastures. Grass that is alive and vibrant. It is the nourishment we need. On a purely physical level, I bet He does the same thing for you: He puts healthy foods at your fingertips every day, probably every meal. (Whether or not you choose to eat them is another issue; again, you are college girls!) But there's more to nourishment than food. In John 4 you find the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. (A GREAT narrative, if you haven't read it in a while.) Anyway, Jesus has this entire conversation with a woman at the well while His apostles have gone to get lunch. And when they come back they figure He has to be hungry; after all, He hasn't eaten. So they keep urging Him to eat something. His response: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work," (John 4:34, HCSB.)
We are nourished when we live for Him. When we love. When we serve. When we speak a kind word, hold out a hand, listen to the same sob story for the 100th time. There is something more filling than food: obedience.
THERE IS NO GREATER THRILL THAN WALKING IN GOD'S PATH. In a conversation. In a relationship. In a job. You'll seek His filling more than anything else that could ever make you hungry physically.
Finally, He leads us beside quiet waters. Thirst-quenching, cold, cleansing, fresh, crystal-clear water. Not water that will wash over us, but water that will refresh us. In that same story of the woman at the well (John 4), Jesus asks the woman for some water. She is suspicious, for no self-respecting Jew would ever talk to a Samaritan woman, let alone ask her for water. (The Jews were self-righteous like that. Good thing we never think we're better than someone or some group.) When she questions Him about it, He tells her that "...whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again--ever! In fact, the water I give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life," (John 4:14, HCSB).
Eternal life water. Water that quenches our thirst forever.
You know you've been thirsty...for someone or something that would make you complete. This is the exact water you've been looking for: the water only Jesus can give, and the only water that leads to eternal life.
When we find rest, nourishment, and our thirst is quenched, He restores our souls. We find we are filled with Him, lacking nothing.
Rest.
Eat.
Drink.
You are the sheep of the perfect, almighty, holy Shepherd.
Help me spread my blog! Forward this email to a friend, retweet me (@leslienotebook), or email me personally at myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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