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"The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name's sake."
(Psalm 23:1-3, CSB)
Psalm 23 is one of the more "famous" passages of scripture. It is the renowned passage about the Lord being our shepherd, and oh, what a good shepherd He is! For today, I want us to really visualize and think about the words of just the first three verses of this chapter. So right now, wherever you are, I want you to visualize yourself out in a pasture with the Good Shepherd, and let's look at these verses together.
I have what I need.
Because the Lord is our shepherd, we have what we need. You have all that you need because the Good Shepherd is with you. I want you to think back to yesterday's devotional where we looked at some of the Hebrew names of God. Remind yourself of who our Shepherd is.
He lets me lie down.
If you have never experienced lying down in a green pasture, you have missed out on a pleasant, calming experience. When you lie down, you are not caring about what is around you because you are enjoying taking in the moment. You are laying on your back feeling the cool, plush, green grass and experiencing a moment of peace and tranquility. This is what God does for us. He lets us lie down because He is protecting us. He lets us lie down because He is in control. He lets us lie down and feel His peace and tranquility.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
The Good Shepherd is leading us. What a thought. The all-powerful, all-knowing, loving God is leading us. He's not only leading us, but He is leading us beside quiet waters. The one who can calm and raise waters is leading us beside quiet waters. Think back to the last time you saw "quiet waters". Think about that moment, and think about the truth that God leads you beside those waters. The Good Shepherd leads us beside quiet waters. Even when we think they may be crazy waters, the Good Shepherd is in control and is leading us.
He renews my life.
The Good Shepherd not only creates you but sustains and renews you! What an encouraging thought, that as we get tired and depleted, our Good Shepherd renews our life. Because we are with the Good Shepherd, He is renewing our life.
He guides me along the right paths.
The Good Shepherd is always guiding us on the right path. Notice this is not the "easy path" but the right path, for His Name's sake. We can sometimes get so wrapped up in the path that we think it is a wrong path, but if we were honest and were to look back on hard times in our life, we can say they were the right paths and that our Good Shepherd was leading us through those hard times. God, the Good Shepherd, leads us along the right paths.
God is a Good Shepherd who gives us what we need, lets us lie down in green pastures, leads us beside quiet waters, renews our life, and guides us along the right paths for His name's sake.
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