Psalm 23 is a familiar psalm and undoubtedly the most popular in current society. It’s popular at funerals – expressing sorrow and sadness for a loss. Yet it ends on an upbeat note referring to God’s goodness and mercy for all the days of our lives. A true psalm for reflecting on this journey we call “life”.
I happened to study this psalm recently in my daily bible study “When Words Fail” by Proverbs 31 Ministries (their First 5 daily devotional).
The timing of this psalm was impeccable (as God’s timing always is!). I was packing for my “solitude” trip up to a cabin on a lake in northern Michigan. I have never done anything alone like this in my life, so I was a bit nervous. But God comforted me and calmed my fears when I read this psalm with fresh eyes.
It simply overflowed my heart with so much joy that I want to write about it over the five Sundays in this month of September 2018.
I hope you will take the time to read this amazing psalm with fresh eyes and allow it to renew your heart, mind, and soul as you pursue Him every day. Rest. Restoration. Righteousness. Reassurance. Readiness.
Week 1 {Rest}
Psalm 23:1-2 (NIV) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads be beside quiet waters.
Are you living life exhausted? Constant fatigue that you just can’t seem to overcome in your day to day life?
I completely understand that feeling of pure exhaustion. First of all, being 100 pounds overweight will do that to a person. There was never a day when I was caught up on my sleep enough to lift the brain fog of my day to day existence. This vicious cycle led to emotional and spiritual exhaustion, as well. I just didn’t know how much at the time.
Being in this brain fog for so many years, maybe I missed the deep passion of this psalm! I’ve read the first few verses of Psalm 23 over and over again through my 51 years. Never like I read them this week. He awakened my understanding and lit a fire in my soul that I just have to share with you. I want you to enjoy the rest, too!
Let me set the scene for my excitement. I woke up this past Wednesday to this psalm as the topic of my morning devotion. Buzzing through my mind was the checklist of everything I had to get done this day for my weekend away from home. I was leaving in two days and I really should do some laundry, right?
Well, I settled in with my bible and beans and thought “what new exciting things can God teach me in Psalm 23”? I could probably recite it if needed, well at least give a pretty good summary of everything it said. But WOW! What a new depth of understanding I had that morning.
God’s timing is perfect, as my mind was racing through my “to-do” list and wondering how I could actually enjoy a weekend of rest and relaxation. He was about to show me how and why!
There is so much in this small chapter, but I want to break it down into five blog posts – there is just so much there to wrap our brains around.
Verse 1 – The Lord is MY shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Okay, so guess what? We have to be sheep for a moment and analyze this. Sheep need constant and total care from a shepherd. They are helpless creatures and prone to wander.
So, what does this mean for us? We must be totally dependent on OUR Shepherd for all things! This means every aspect of our life. Complete and total surrender and dependence on our creator. I wrote the following in my devotional notebook: Sheep need total care! This means that I should submit my entire being to the Lord, my Shepherd. HE’S GOT THIS!
Does “HE’S GOT THIS!” apply in your life right now? Complete and total surrender?
Verse 2a – He makes me lie down in green pastures.
Put your sheep wool coat on again. How do you think sheep are feeling if they are lying down in green pastures? I’m thinking they are feeling very contended and safe! So content and secure that they can rest!
I picture these green pastures providing all the needs of these sheep, too. It’s a perfect picture of how we can rest in Him knowing that He will meet all our needs. From rest, to provisions, to security in Him.
Verse 2b – He leads me beside quiet waters.
He is leading us! What a peaceful picture of His leading to quiet, still waters. Waters that will renew and refresh us and again provide for our needs – physical and spiritual.
As I’m sitting on the edge of a peaceful lake in northern Michigan right now, my heart is full of the knowledge that He led me to this restful place for the weekend. How good is He when we ask for things in His will?
But you can’t see beyond the “tired”. I know, I do know! I truly understand how unrested you can feel if you’re suffering from physical ailments from living a life of obesity or metabolic dysfunction. Your body is not allowing you to even imagine feeling rested. I was there for three decades!
It’s also hard to rest in our fast-paced world. We need to make our best effort daily to rest in Him. Spend time with Him every day – IF you experience a restful time with Him, I guarantee that you will feel the benefits of this most important relationship. I encourage getting up early and making this priority. You’re not a morning person? Neither was I! Now 5:30/6:00am is my favorite time of my day. I’m awake, no longer sleeping – but I am resting in Him.
I wish to pass on to you the promise that He can renew your joy and zeal for daily life if you trust Him to meet your needs in your daily healthy living. I am absolutely certain that my Keto lifestyle has brought me to this spiritual healing in so many ways that I hope to share with you through these blog posts. One of the best gifts from Him is the ability to rest in Him and to feel well-rested each and every day.
I rest in His care and I love the image of this verse from Isaiah.
Isaiah 41:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
And carries them close to his heart;
He gently leads those that have young.
He is holding you close to his heart! You can rest in His arms! I want to encourage you to begin or continue on this journey to joy. Start praying for God to provide you rest– both physically and spiritually. He promises in Psalm 23 that He is our source of rest. As you begin to trust Him for that rest, trust in His provisions, and rely on safety in Him – he will begin or continue the work in you to renew your joy. Contended REST in green pastures near quiet waters. What bliss!
I want to leave you with a wonderful worship song from my favorite Christian band, Rend Collective. I keep singing this over and over in my mind as I ponder Psalm 23 in a whole new way. I’m certain that they used this beloved Psalm as they wrote this song “Counting Every Blessing”. Reflecting on their lyrics, I think they would “get” how I can read this psalm with a whole new heart. You can watch their official music video here: Counting Every Blessing.
Now, excuse me while I sit at the lake and pour out my praise for this time of REST. God is so, so good to me!
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