Today’s Encouragement is, “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” Psalm 23:2 NLT
He lets me rest –
We don’t really rest very effectively, do we? We rush from task to task, appointment to appointment, and project to project. We crash at night after cramming as much as possible into our schedule!
This beautiful psalm presents a different truth, an alternative lifestyle to our frantic pace.
Our shepherd, always good, kind, and loving, is our provider. And He provides resting places, beautiful places for us to be nourished and fed calmly and quietly. And He leads us beside calm, peaceful, cool, refreshing drinking water.
We all need food, water, and rest and peace, too!
The Bible could have said, “God gives us just enough food and water to keep us alive.” But God is Good; He is far beyond our ability to understand “good!”
If and when we can recognize His perfect Love for us, then it’s simpler, more comfortable to accept His restful, gentle, and kind provision of our essential needs of food, water, rest, and peace.
Now God isn’t finished providing for His people, his sheep, just yet. This is just the beginning of this powerful psalm, and just the beginning of His blessings!
Father, we desperately need Your provision, protection, and guidance. Just like sheep, we wander and need to be led by Your gentle and kind hand into places of rest, nourishment, and restoration. You alone are our Good Shepherd. Help us to rest in You.
Rest
Aaron Shust
Today’s Encouragement 