Rest Is A Weapon
Nowhere in Scripture does it say life will be without burden and stress. However, we see assurance in Psalm 23 that God will provide green pastures of spiritual, emotional, and even physical restoration.
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"I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures."
In Western culture, it is likely improbable that you've never heard Psalm 23. You've likely heard it at a funeral or seen it cross-stitched in your grandmother's home. While there are many observations we could make about Psalm 23, it's one thing to have cross-stitched in your home, but it's another for these words to uphold your heart.
"Psalm 23 is one of those great, wonderful passages of writing that could not possibly have been made up by human ingenuity alone. Our minds do not naturally run at these kinds of heights. Some stories are so real they could have never been made up; the psalmist David's words are like that. They express the experience of a man whose life was rugged, but who came to know the overflowing richness of Yahweh in the midst of it."
-Dallas Willard, Life Without Lack, p. 47
When we observe our text, we need to be mindful that grazing land was not abundant in the semi-arid landscape of ancient Palestine. Therefore, shepherds would have to guide their flocks to places with enough grass to keep sheep.
Now, pick up on the metaphor. Psalm 23 says that God provides a safe place for David to receive the desperately needed provision. This reality underscores the greatness of God because these green pastures highlight abundant provision available for the believer. The word "pastures" signifies that there are places God has for us to graze spiritually, emotionally, and even physically.
Do not lose sight of the context of the setting in which David writes these words. Scholars believe David is suffering and in crisis. Yet, as he's writing, he's painting a picture of the shepherd's provision.
When we review popular songs, such as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2, we realize that art imitates life. What makes those tunes popular is not that they're catchy but that we're able to align within our fallen state. Now, contrast that idea with what Augustine said more than 1,000 years ago. "Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee."
Take Note of the Shepherd's Provision
1) Take Note of Scripture's Life-Giving Correlation
Correlation means a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things. So, notice the correlation that David articulated. "I shall not want." Why? Because "I'm lying down in green pastures."
Some may respond to that phrase, "I don't want God making me do anything." A very successful businessman once told me he feared giving his heart to God. He said, "I want to ensure my soul is safe, but I fear surrender because I'm afraid God will send me to Africa." I explained two things:
John 3:16 is an expression of surrender. When Jesus said, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him…," it means not merely to believe but to entrust yourself to Jesus.
If you surrender, you surrender to the Great Shepherd. If He were to put something on your heart, like serving in Africa, He would put it on your heart so you wouldn't be happy doing anything else.
We mischaracterize who God is because we've been deceived. When it says God makes me lie down in green pasture, this is not the language of God forcing someone down. This is the language of the shepherd, creating favorable conditions for the sheep to have food and rest.
2) Take Note That Rest is Found in the Shepherd's Way and Presence
No one in life is exempt from experiencing stress that may produce fear or anxiety. One way we experience stress is when our public life outpaces our private life. Over time, you come to the point of exhaustion and burnout.
One way to find rest spiritually, emotionally, and physically is to keep the shepherd in view. That's what David is teaching us. “Cast all your anxiety upon the Lord because He cares for you.” We’re instructed to do that because He cares that deeply. (And it should be noted that even the strongest Christian can still deal with bouts of anxiety, worry, or fear.)
[READ MORE: How to Deal With Anxiety]
So what happens when we graze? We have our spot to rest, so what do we graze on?
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
Jesus instructed us to find spiritual nourishment and that our food is to do the will of the heavenly Father. What we see in Scripture is the nourishment flows not only out of the Word of God being read, incorporated into our hearts and practice, but also doing the will of God by living it out. How are we called to serve locally and even globally? What we see in this picture is how our souls are nourished in the process.
God instructed the sheep of His pasture to build margin in their life. We see these pictures in the Old and New Testament around a rhythm of the Sabbath, a day set apart to worship God and to rest to nourish your soul. This is not something that a portion of corporate culture understands.
Sabbath is rooted in biblical reality and the heart of God for His people. The Hebrew word for Sabbath is rooted in the word that means stop, cease, and rest. We're told in the Ten Commandments to "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." That means to set apart. It's not like other days of the week.
For a Christian, rest is a weapon. It's strategic in your walk with Christ to be able to lay down and rest. I'm not talking about just sleeping. I'm referring to the nourishment that comes from slowing down and being in Christ's presence.
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” In other words, what Jesus is saying when you build margin in your life is, "I'm doing this for you."
Take note that rest is found in the shepherd's presence and in the shepherd's way of doing life and His instructions.
3) Take note of David's delight in God
You could say that David is delighting in God throughout Psalm 23, but notice how he's delighting in God. David delights in the presence of the shepherd not only because of His provision but in the provider of the provision.
In John 14, Jesus says, "I'm getting ready to go and where I'm going there are many rooms in my father's house. I go to prepare a place for you." If God created the heavens and the Earth, imagine what's in store when Jesus has been working on a new heaven and Earth for the last two thousand years. It's going to be beyond what any of us could imagine.
But the real prize of heaven is the joy of being in the presence of Jesus Himself. Think about it; no sin nature, fear, worry, anxiety, doubt. It will only be Jesus' purity, holiness, and joy.
When we look at a song like "Blessed Assurance," which is based on Romans 8, we see the words "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine." What the author, Fanny Crosby, is describing is the experience of the manifestation of the presence of the shepherd. She's describing the beauty of what's coming.
Much like David writing these words of worship during a crisis, he never mentions life being easy in Scripture. On the contrary, it thoroughly informs us that it will not be easy. But we do see there are promises that in the challenges of life, the love, strength, grace, and provision of God will be abundant.
David was human. He was dealing with his humanity in these verses, and God gave grace to him. But it was only because David surrendered.
Jesus once said, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Many Christians read that verse and stop right there, which is unfortunate. The remainder of the verse is, "Take my yoke upon you."
If I take the yoke of Jesus, I'm letting go of mine. That means releasing my anger, pain, and unforgiveness. Be reminded that sheep are not load-bearing animals. The empowerment of Jesus comes alongside, and we join in union with our shepherd. That's where we find our nourishment and restoration.
TL;DR
The word "pastures" signifies that there are places God has for us to graze spiritually, emotionally, and even physically.
Take Note of the Shepherd’s Provisions
Take note of Scripture’s Live-Giving Correlation
Take note that rest is found in the Shepherd’s Way and Presence
Take note of David’s delight in God
What we see in Scripture is the nourishment flows not only out of the Word of God being read, incorporated into our hearts and practice, but also doing the will of God by living it out.
For a Christian, rest is a weapon. It's strategic in your walk with Christ to be able to lay down and rest.
Related Reading
How to Sabbath by William Merriman
The Lord is My Shepherd Explained by Rev. Paul Lawler
Who We Are Depends on Whose We Are by Rev. Paul Lawler
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services
