Green Pastures

Having grown up on a farm, seeing a pasture turn green in the early spring always seems to brighten my mood.  To be able to stand on a knoll and look down over a green pasture is also one of my favorite scenes in life.  God gave us His Word, and Psalm 23 is a favorite of most Christians for a lot of reasons.....lets revisit it again this morning:

Psalm 23 (KJV 1900) — A Psalm of David.1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:He leadeth me beside the still waters.3He restoreth my soul:He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

the entire psalm is a powerful reminder that God is in control of His children no matter where our circumstances may take us....it is a deep dive....like most Scripture, it can be read and understood by most children with comprehension, but it can also be as deep as a persons mind can fathom as well.....I want to only focus on verse 2 this morning.....2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:He leadeth me beside the still waters.

​He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters.....question: how does He do that?? You know this isn't speaking of a physical place we can magically go and all will be at peace right?? There is no magical spiritual disneyland we can flee to and all will be at peace.....we realize this correct?? I want you to really get this point for a reference the rest of your lives here on this earth.....He makes me lie down in green pastures.....how does this happen?

You are driving down a familiar road that you've known for a long time.....you've spent so many years driving this same road that you really don't even pay attention to all the scenery....one day you're driving like all the days before and you look up and realize....you're not sure where you are.....and as much as we hate to do it [speaking as a man] we have to consult the roadmap to figure out where we went wrong [or smartphone if we have a signal haha].....can you use this analogy with your spiritual life? Your prayer life? Your Worship Life? 

Lets look at it this way....when our spiritual life becomes secondary....God will use the experience of life to cause us to "lie down in green pastures"....when our circumstances change, or become difficult, or fear of the unknown comes in, our lives seem to have a dark cloud hanging over.....it is then we realize we must get closer to the Lord for wisdom and grace....fellowship and prayer and meditation....these are the green pastures He MAKES us lie down in....my friends, God will have you pray, one way or another.....God will have fellowship with you, one way or another.....He will make you lie down in green pastures, He will lead you beside the still waters.....these go together....once we've realized our need of following the Lord, the still waters are always in view! 

I hope this day finds you beside the still waters, if not, you are never far away! God bless your day! 

​Pastor Scott