“He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul…”
Psalm 23:2-3a

If you’ve been here for awhile you know how much the image of the shepherd loving and caring for his sheep means to me. Through this analogy God showed me that His heart for me - for us. - The Holy, Majestic God of the Universe is my - our Shepherd. That His love for me is unwavering and fierce; He will provide all I need and He will protect me.

When you read the first line in the verse above what do you picture in your head? I always pictured lush green fields with wildflowers and butterflies beside a babbling brook and a huge tree for shade. Where there is rest and refreshment.

But it wasn’t that at all! The Judean wilderness had rocky and dry hillsides with patches of grass here and there. David had to lead his sheep through the rocky places to find the patches of grass for them to eat.

God will always lead us through our difficult and dry times to places where we will find rest and provision.

At the beginning of Psalm 23 David says: “…I shall not want” which in Hebrew means: “nothing will be missing from my life.”

The challenge I felt when reading this was, do I trust God to provide what I need and not always what I want? Because my list of “nothings that should not be missing from my life” is probably very different from God’s.

I’m sure the sheep would had loved to sit in one area and eat till they were full then go get a long, cold drink from the stream nearby and then take a nap! BUT the sheep may only get a mouthful at one patch and will need to move on to the next patch. They may have needed to walk dry-mouthed to find the stream. They are continually keeping track of the shepherd and following him for what they need.

There may be parts of our stories that we have pictured turning out differently. I know I did.
Who wants to climb dusty, rocky hills getting all sweaty and tired for a mouthful of grass? Let’s have more of the lush green fields with wildflowers gently swaying in the soft breeze and a buffet of grass scenario. That would be my vote!

BUT

Can we - do we trust our Shepherd to lead us to what we need for this moment? Whatever that looks like.

The promise here isn’t an easy life but of God’s provision, guidance, and presence as our Shepherd. It’s redefining our level of trust in Him. It’s accepting the gift of what we need for today and not worrying about next week or that situation.

This week, today, at this very moment, I pray that you will know God’s unwavering and fierce love for you and that understanding will deepen your trust in Him to provide what you need.

“The LORD is my shepherd, nothing will be missing from my life.”
Psalm 23:1

Have the most amazing day!
All My Love ~
Jodi

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