“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures”
The Good Shepherd puts you in a really good place. He lays you down in green pastures. That is nice. The picture David paints for us is one of comfort and rest. But, please notice that it is not just about laying down. He lays us down in “green pastures”.
Question. Have you ever laid down to rest but you couldn’t relax? You were tired but restless. There was so much on your mind that you could not settle down. Things you had to do. Worries about this or that. The Good Shepherd lays us down in “green pastures” where our needs can be met. David’s phrase is not about God providing us rest but, about God providing our needs so that we can rest. Our Shepherd puts us in green pastures to rest.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd was always doing the same with the sheep around Him. So, often the people around Jesus were stressed and worried about the things of this life and Jesus would lead them into a “green pasture” and invite them to rest. The words from our Sabbath devotion come to mind again. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. When Jesus saw the crowds in Mark 6 He had compassion on them because they were like “sheep without a shepherd” (vs. 34). Then Jesus directed the crowd to “sit down in groups on the green grass” (vs. 39) and He proceeded to feed the crowd (provide their need). He is the Good Shepherd.
The trust that we have in Him as the Good Shepherd allows us to be able to rest. So, what does this have to do with the cross? It is the cross that brings us into green pastures again. We were lost and wandering with no place to lie down. And, even when we did lay down we did not rest. Too many things to worry about. But through the work of the cross Jesus puts us back into “green pastures” and we can have peace.
Today, thank the Lord for putting you into green pastures.