A Wise Shepherd
I’m blessed to drive by this view each day while taking my daughter to school. At first glance, it seems like your expected every day view of the Kansas plains, but it reminds me of something much greater.
During my grandfather’s final days, my grandmother would continually ask me to read Psalm 23 to him at his bedside as it was his favorite chapter in Bible. I read this to him probably 10 times a day for a week straight. Each time I read it, I felt like he could hear the words. It seemed as though he would find peace and comfort even though he was unresponsive.
Over 20 years later I heard a true story that instantly brought me back to these final moments with my grandfather. Two decades later, I was shook to my core and instantly came to tears. I didn’t come to tears because of my grandfather’s death, but by the incredible beauty in the Truth of God’s word.
A sheep farmer approached a Pastor friend of mine after a service he preached about the 23rd Psalm. I’m paraphrasing this a little as I didn’t lock into every word, but the sheep farmer essentially said this to my friend. “You preached a great message, but if you knew a little more about sheep, it could be better.”
The farmer asked this question.
“When you see a herd of sheep, do you ever notice that each sheep is always standing up?”
The sheep farmer continued…
“You see, a sheep is a rather finicky creature. It’s nervous and flighty so it never lies down unless all of its needs are met. Its belly has to be full, its thirst must be quenched, and it has to feel 100 percent safe in his or her surroundings. It’s only when all of these needs are met, that it will be comfortable enough to lie down.”
That’s all I had to hear for this chapter to hit me like a ton of bricks. With that knowledge now in mind, look at the incredible Truth of verse 2.
Psalm 23:2 “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
Regardless of how good or bad our surroundings are, the Lord our Shepherd is the only One who can fulfill our needs. He’s the only One that can make us content enough to be still and lie down, to be still and trust in our safety and provision, to be still and know that He is God and the only One in control.
I’ve read this chapter countless times over the last two decades. I’ve heard at least a dozen sermons on this chapter… Yet, it was the wisdom of an actual shepherd that opened my eyes to the true meaning behind this passage.
Every morning I get to see these sheep. All of them standing. All of them looking for contentment in the grass they’re eating. All of them looking for safety in their surroundings… And it reminds me of myself. It reminds me of this world we live in where we fall into the trap of looking everywhere else but to Jesus for our needs and for our satisfaction. I’m blessed to be reminded of this every single morning. I love these little sheep and how they remind me of my Shepherd that makes me lie down in green pastures.
~Drew