Green Grass to Eat

O. T. #1197 "Green Grass to Eat"
April 25, 2018
Psalms 23-Part 2
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.  Psalms 23:2

LET IT GLOW

I recall whenever a kid, I would lie down in the green grass of the back yard, in the summer mind you, and looking up into the sky, using my imagination as to what animal shapes the white fluffy clouds made. Now that was a peaceful time. There were no jet planes going over, no semi trucks roaring on the highway every 5 minutes, no train whistle was loudly sounding like it was in the front yard, no hurried neighbors zooming by to get to their destinations, as it is nowadays. Except for Sundays, life on our country road has become anything but peaceful. Everyone is in a hurry. What a piety.
Has anyone ever eaten green grass? Can't say I have. But when animals, like cats and dogs, are sick, they often eat it so they throw up, clearing their stomach. Well, we know green grass is food for cows, sheep, goats. Just not for people, for we don't have stomachs that digest it.

Previously, in verse 1 of this chapter, we learned that when the LORD is our Shepherd, we shall not want, lack. When we follow and trust Him, our needs will be met at the right time. He will give us the best of His which is best for us. Our Good Shepherd cares for His sheep and laid down His life for them. (John 10:11)

Look at the first part of today's key verse. What is significant about green pastures for sheep? One thing is that it is the sufficient, substantial food that sheep need in order to survive and grow. In Palestine, green pastures are far and few between, so the sheep must be lead from pasture to pasture. Another thing, once a pasture is found, it is there they rest before moving on to the next pasture. The shepherd knows where the food is.

We can't skip over the word maketh. You mean to say that Jesus makes us lie down in green pastures? Who wants to lie in itchy green staining grass? Hold on friend.

The word maketh means to level, yield, behaves, adjust.

Putting this into proper perspective, does the Lord have to level us flat in bed before we look to Him for direction and peace in our life? Yes, many times I have been sick in bed, forced to spend time alone, which results in my taking advantage of quiet time for prayer. That is when I yield to listening to Him speak.
You know what, if we will make the adjustments in our time schedule to spend time with Him in Bible study and prayer, then we will find food for our hungry soul. Will we yield to Jesus before He has to level us? Maybe He has a different direction for us to go and we are not listening to hear His directions. Maybe we are feeling empty inside-let Jesus fill us with His Holy Spirit and a purpose for our life.


LET IT GROW

The second part of this verse says our Shepherd leads us beside the still waters. We know that sheep need water in order to live. It is a necessity for life. However, if the stream is swift, then it might knock down the sheep, fill its wool with water, and take it under. That is why the stream needed to be still instead of swiftly flowing.

Leadeth means to protect, sustain, lead gently on.

The Hebrew word for still refers to a place of rest.

In my area of the state, there are shade trees along the banks of our creeks and rivers. The shade of the trees and a cool breeze blowing off the water provide a wonderful place to rest during the heat of a summer's day.

So we can conclude that our Good Shepherd protects us and gently leads us on to a place of rest for our soul. The more time we spend with Him, the deeper our experience with the Shepherd is. We find peace and contentment in minds as we rest in His will. Jesus becomes our Living Water for our thirsty soul. We find joy and love from Him. When our life becomes like a turmoil troubled sea or rapid rolling flood of problems sweep us off our feet, we can roll with the flow with Jesus in our boat. He once commanded the wind and the sea to be still when the disciples' boat was rocking and filling with waves.

LET IT GO

Come to Jesus for food of His Word to fill my hungry soul and water for my thirsty spirit as the Holy Spirit swishes in.
Ask Jesus to wash my sins away.
Let Him adjust my life so there is rest for my weary soul.