Psalm 23
The first devotional I wrote for this month, Peace Be Still, was also on Psalm 23. Since then, the Lord has given me a new perspective on this Psalm and what David is saying about God. How cool is it that He gave me new and refreshed understanding and perspective of this Psalm just 15 days later?! It’s not that my perspective on April 1st was bad or wrong, but this is the essence of God’s truth…it is always there, but there is always more to discover.
The more I study the Bible, the more I realize there is no way to exhaust His infinite truth. We are only scratching the surface each time we read. He is the well that never runs dry…a deep well that provides fresh water each time we draw from it.
His Word never changes, and its meaning remains objective. However, the Holy Spirit can stir our hearts in a way that we have never experienced before. He illuminates the Word and eternal truth is made personal for each of us. This is the reason 6 verses can have a different (but still true) application 15 days later.
I pray you too would receive a fresh perspective on a Psalm that may be familiar to you already.
Take a moment to read this Psalm… meditate, journal, and reflect.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
When social distancing and stay at home orders were in their early stages, I had a friend say to me “This makes me think about Psalm 23…He MAKES me lie down in green pastures. It’s like He’s making the whole world lie down and rest.” This realization struck me, and I have thought about it a lot since she told me.
Why would He do this?
He doesn’t make us rest because He is a mean God. He makes us rest because it’s what’s best for us. David doesn’t say “He asks me to lie down in green pastures” but he does say “He makes me…”
If it were up to us, we would never rest. I mean, think about it. There are multiple passages in scripture that say resting is good for us, and that it is a gift from God. There are numerous scientific studies that prove the health benefits of rest. We know how we feel after a good night of sleep. All this proof, and yet we choose to fill our plates with more than we can handle and refuse to rest. We live shackled to the chains of busyness, yet He has called us to walk in freedom and to find rest in Him (“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” Galatians 5:1).
Even when we know what’s best for us, we often choose to do the very opposite.
Look what David says after God makes him lie down…
“He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.”
After God made David lie down and rest, He led him beside still waters. In Hebrew, ‘still waters’ literally means, “restful waters”. Just like He did for David, our Good Shepherd wants to lead us into a place of rest, where we can have full confidence and trust in Him, without anything to distract us from that truth. Sometimes it takes a pandemic to make us stop and realize how desperately we need Him.
This is what a good Father does. He brings us a place of rest, where He restores our souls. He then tells us to follow Him down the path of righteousness—all for the glory of His name. When we are freed from all distractions, it becomes very clear what our souls need and long for, more of Him…and less of everything else.
Reflection Question(s): In the midst of a world that seems chaotic and unfulfilling, ask yourself, “Am I allowing God to lead me?” What does this Psalm say will happen when the Good Shepherd leads you? Remind yourself of these promises as you go about your day.
Today’s Worship Song: Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy) — Shane & Shane
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoojA0cLPWY
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2Zxili8AmCuqiomg9HzTgH?si=m1EKUVXmQXWZUGYydGSCcw
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/psalm-23-live/1176575601?i=1176575612
"We can put down our tools. We can close our computers. We can forbid those thoughts about that next meeting or those emails waiting for a reply or how the numbers aren’t as high as we’d like. We can stop and trust him who justifies the ungodly. We can trust that when Jesus died in our place on the cross, he died to destroy all the anxieties of our lack, to still our ceaseless striving, to hush the winds of our self-justifying labor, to irrevocably connect us to the abundance of his grace we possess by his work, not ours.” -John Bloom
May we rest in Him today.
With love,
Brooke
