The Shepherd

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

Early in January, this verse came up as the verse of the day on my bible app.  Of all the times that I have read this verse, the phrase “makes me” struck a chord.  I began to wonder why would a loving God “make” me lie down.  He wouldn’t! But this is what the Psalmist David penned so there must be something in the making.

I had been praying about taking a season of rest.  I knew that it was much needed so in our Pursuit 2021, that was part of my prayer – God help me to rest in You.

I meditated on this particular verse for weeks.  I read commentaries and the Hebrew definitions of the words in this verse to attempt to fully understand the context and meaning of the passage.

“You see, Covid hit our home.  My husband and I both tested positive.  If you haven’t experienced “the Rona” personally, it is no joke.  The symptoms that go along with this virus hit the body like a Mack truck.  ”

— Kim Dockery

Elliott’s Commentary for English Readers said the meaning was “in the present tense; safe under the Shepherd’s care, absolved from all anxieties by the sense of protection.”

Matthew Henry Commentary said, “The Lord gives quiet and contentment in the mind, whatever the lot is.” 

“He makes me to lie down …” implies that the sheep have such trust in the Shepherd that they would willingly lie down, being completely at rest in the care, protection, and provision of the Shepherd.  

The message that God was speaking to my heart was the same—do I trust in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, as the sheep trust in their shepherd?  Can I be fully at rest knowing that no matter the lot that life brings, I am at peace and contented? 

I didn’t know that I would get the chance to put this teaching into action.  You see, Covid hit our home.  My husband and I both tested positive.  If you haven’t experienced “the Rona” personally, it is no joke.  The symptoms that go along with this virus hit the body like a Mack truck.  And on top of dealing with the sickness, the fear generated by today’s headlines attacks the mind in a big way.  The horror stories you hear of not breathing and people dying from Covid attempts to grip your mind and affects your body.

So, I had a choice to make.  You see, it is easy to rest in the care of the Good Shepherd when everything is good; but, when you are dealing with sickness or heartache, can you then remain at rest?  I knew that God had given me that passage for a reason.  It wasn’t just to quote and read – it was given to live it out. 

So I began to focus on resting in Jesus.  Because I understood that Jesus loves me, cares for me, protects me, and provides for me, I will surrender my will to Him because He is with me. 

And, because He is with me, I will gladly lie down in green pastures; I will walk beside quiet waters, and I will walk through the darkest valley. 

Was this easy?  No, it was a choice to dwell on the fear, or, I could dwell on His Word.  We have recovered and are getting out of quarantine – praise God!  And, I am learning that there is this place of rest that God calls His children to abide.  It is a place of abiding in the “present” and not the future. 

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

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