A Sheep's Rest

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

Psalm 23:1a

Peace and contentment. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. A sheep lying down in green pastures embodies true peace and contentment. This image seems so contrary to the reality of today’s world. We are a nation fueled by anxiety, strife, irritations, and hunger. We are a nation unable to lie down in green pastures.

In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller explains four needs that must be met before a sheep can lie down in green pastures; four needs faithfully tended to by the Good Shepherd.[1]

The sheep must be free from anxiety and fear. And yet, we are a people riddled with anxiety and fear. The coronavirus. The election. Lost jobs. School openings. Poor health. Lost love. The list goes on and on.

But with the Good Shepherd, the sheep need not fear.

But now thus says the LORD,

He who created you O Jacob,

He who formed you O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called your name and you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

The sheep must be free from friction within the flock. And yet, our world, our churches, our families are riddled with friction. We sometimes butt others for what we want, or others sometimes butt us for what they want…Riots. Injustice. Political greed. Jealousies. Envy. Theological arguments. Family brokenness. We are a people constantly at odds with each other. We forget God’s call to “look not to your own personal interests, but to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)” But the Good Shepherd provides safety and justice.

Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them:

I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals

with your horns until you scattered them far and wide,

I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged;

and I will Judge between sheep and sheep.

Ezekiel 34:20-22

The sheep must be free from irritating pests. And yet, we are a people riddled with irritations, frustrating relationships and situations that never resolve. We have an itch that drives us to constant distraction. But the Good Shepherd protects His sheep with anointing oil, the power of the Holy Spirit.

But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us,

by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts….

2 Corinthians 1:21

The sheep must be free from hunger. And yet, we are a hungry people. Sheep will eat anything to satisfy their hunger. Don’t we do the same? We feed our spiritual hunger with money, entertainment, unhealthy relationships…never finding satisfaction, only continuous hunger. But the Good Shepherd offers himself, the Bread of Life, the only true satisfaction to fill our hunger.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:35

In Christ, we need not be overwhelmed with anxiety, strife, irritations, and hunger. In Christ, our burdens belong to the One who most loves us, the One we can trust to love, protect, and provide for us. In Christ, we can lie down in green pastures.

This has come to me again and again as I grow older.

It is the knowledge that my Master, my Friend, my Owner

has things under control even when they may appear calamitous.

This gives me great consolation, repose, and rest.

Phillip Keller

A Shepherd’s Look at the Psalm 23

[1] W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007), 41-56.