Psalm 23 Continued…
Psalms 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.
Something wonderful, but so very easy to forget about our Great Shepherd, that David reminds us of is that we need to remember to set our alarm clock right. It has been said, “If you are burning the candle at both ends, you’re not as bright as you think you are.”
Our Shepherd comes to us and says, “Let me give you rest in green pastures. Let me lead you beside quiet waters.”
God wants you to slow down. He wants you to relax. But do you know what I’ve found out? Many times my busyness was to prove my worth rather than being necessary. Most Americans try to find their worth and their value in their work or career. The Bible says we are worthy regardless of our work.
Remember what James said: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.” (James 1:18) We don’t have to prove our worth. We were made by God and we already have worth as a result. Relax.
There is nothing that we could ever do in life that would make God love us more than He already does. There is nothing that we could ever do that could make God love us any less. His love is NOT based on our performance. It is unconditional. It is based solely on who He is.
If we could really grab ahold of that truth we would live a lot more calm, relaxed and productive lives. But still, so many of us stive for a living to acquire more things and we live lives that are restless and full of stress.
It has been said that a bow that is never unstrung loses its power. God told us in Exodus 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
It is so important to our Shepherd that we do not overwork, that he puts overworking (not slowing down even for Sabbath rest) right up there with adultery and murder! If we do not have a day of rest, we are breaking His commandments.
It is an odd thing, in our 24/7 society, that our Shepherd is gently, quietly calling to us to “slow down, take a break, relax.”
We need to rest our body. Don’t feel guilty if you relax. Take a nap today for the glory of God! Because we are to rest our body. Our bodies are not meant to go seven days a week at full steam. They burn out, they run down, they wear out! They need time to rebuild. Sleep is a gift from God Himself. Just ask someone who cannot sleep at night if sleep is a gift or not!
We need to recharge our emotions. What is it that does that for you? For some it is quietness. Still waters. We need time to slow down and meditate on our walk and our lives.
We need to refocus our spirit. The Bible calls this worship. It is where we have time to just think about who God is and to be able to tell Him how much we love Him. We need to do that both privately and corporately!
PRAY
Father God, help me to slow down. Help me to not worry or strive to acquire. Help me to rest in you!