Day 1 - Week 87 - Psalm 23:2 "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters."

"Sheep eat standing up.  We once had a small flock, and the only time I saw them eat lying down was when sick.  Sheep eat on all fours, then find a shady spot to lie down and chew their cud.  When the psalmist said, 'He lets me lie down in green pastures,' he meant, 'I'm well satisfied.  I've had plenty to eat.  My needs have been met.  Now I'm going to settle down in contentment.'

"What about the still waters?  Sheep are frightened by rushing streams, for they wear heavy wooden coats that can become waterlogged and result in drowning.  Our sheep wouldn't come near the water trough while I was filling it with the hose.  The sound and sight of the splashing bothered them.  But when the water was stilled, they'd come and drink all they wanted.

"If we're under the Shepherd's ownership and care, He'll see to it that every need in our lives is met in one way or another---our external needs, our internal needs, and our eternal needs."

                                   Robert J. Morgan, One Hundred Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart

Right on the heels of "I shall not want", stating that with God as our Shepherd we find ourselves without any unmet needs or desires, we are told that He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us to still waters.  We are made to lie down, because our stomachs are full...we are content, and well satisfied, and the only natural thing for a sheep to do at that point is to lie down in the clover and rest.  Rest --- that is what the leadership of God brings to us --- He brings us to rest, because if we are truly in Him and trusting in His provision, we have no other option.  He is our rest.  Just as Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Along with great rest, our faithful Shepherd brings us to the still waters...nothing that will upset us, but peaceful, still waters that give us life.  He is the living water, and His Spirit brings His eternal spring into our souls to keep us hydrated eternally. 

John 7:37-39   "Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'  By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive."

Green Pastures - Still Waters

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Contentment and Rest - His Spirit within Us

I'm a silly sheep, but I am so thankful for my Good, Good, Shepherd who provides everything for my complete well being.