Green Pastures

Psalm 23 , “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guide me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Taylor at my Iwo Jima meeting this week brought this scripture into life for the moment. He pointed out that we in this US tend to think of green pastures as hay meadows covered in lush grass with children running through them. But in the Middle East where David was when he wrote this Psalm is more desert environment. And so Taylor learned that in certain places when the wind is right and the breeze is coming off the Mediterranean that a short grass will grow creating a green meadow that only last for a couple of hours. He went on further to say that the shepherds in this area sense when that is going to happen and will move their sheep into an otherwise barren area waiting for this two hour grass to grow. He concluded that this is what Christ does. He leads us to the areas that appear barren and makes us lie down, waiting on the green pasture that ultimately is limited. And that is so true.

How else can God’s goodness and lovingkindness follow us ALL the days of our lives? That goodness follows us to the barren ground to wait on the two hours of grass. His goodness is there as He teaches us righteousness. It is there as He conforms and restores our soul the image of Christ and His original intent. His lovingkindness never leaves us in the valley of the shadow of death, or in the presence of our enemies. We have truly have nothing to worry about.

This does not mean storms never come. It does not mean troubled valleys are not part of life. But is does mean that in those valleys and storms we can be worry free if we will only be aware of his goodness and His lovingkindness which is Christ.