Day 13
Psalm 23:1-6
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
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 your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Green Pastures
When my husband Jon was in high school, he was in a play. One night, he asked a friend (offstage), which scene they were up to and found out, to his horror, that it was one where he should have been on stage! He had to casually wander through the wings and make it look like he meant it! But then he had no idea where they were up to in the script or whether he was meant to speak. I believe his fellow actors were less than delighted.
There is something dangerous about being on when we should be off and off when we should be on.
We need to know which is which.
Leaving yourself ON constantly will have the same effect. You will burn out and be likely to deeply affect the lives of those around you. So, let me ask you a question: Is your behaviour forcing you, your kids, your family or your employees to stay “switched on” for too long? Have you trapped them into not being allowed to turn off?
As our reading from Psalm 23 reminds us today, God’s desire is that we are led into green pastures, into areas that are productive, fruitful, beautiful and restful for us. But so often we fight against Him. We try and consume food, atmospheres, relationships and life choices that are not healthy for us. We don’t rest well and then need help to sleep. We fill our minds with stressful, chaotic activity and then feel too tired to pray. As the margins around our lives become less, there is a reduced amount of space for fun, compassion, creativity and commitment.
But, as with so much in life, our POSITIONING is so key. Where we lie is vitally important. This psalm reminds us that we are not lying in a place of discomfort or lack, but somewhere connected to provision, blessing and honour. A sheep will not lie down if it is scared. Sheep are skittish, nervous creatures who are easily startled. God is inviting us here into a place where we are content to know He is guiding, providing and caring for us. There is no safer place than this!
Pray: Father, thank you for leading me beside still waters and helping me lie down in green pastures. Teach me what that looks like for me again today. Help me not to be afraid to stop. Amen
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Taken from Reading Plans from YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/11321-the-rest-of-your-life/day/13 ) and River Publishing for this plan.