Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me besides the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD PROVIDES REST AND REFRESHMENT
Sheep need to be led to rest and refreshment. They need to be provided for. What kind of shepherd would lead his flock into a desert or a wilderness in which there would be no water for them? Jesus knows exactly what is needed for our refreshment. It's not a vacation. It's not a spa. It's not retirement. Those can be nice and reinvigorating for a time, but our Lord thinks bigger than just our bodies. He takes care of our souls.
Our souls are refreshed by His Word. We read in Psalm 19:10, "More to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
When God speaks to you in His Word, that is balm for healing. It is salve for a guilty conscience. His Word is a comfort for grief. Drink deeply of that Word which speaks of God's unconditional love for you. Nothing can take the place of knowing that God loves you as you are, and that He wants you to be safe in His arms. That is what restores your soul. What more could you ask for than to know that God has taken care of your greatest need and cleansed you from all of your iniquity and given you everlasting life? This is the refreshment that we desperately crave, and that God richly provides.
A good shepherd leads his flock on the paths that are best for them, the safest paths. This is what our Savior does for us as He leads me in the paths of righteousness. It is a path that He walked many times, and a path from which we have often strayed. Worse than any literal sheep, we have put ourselves into grave danger. The paths of unrighteousness look more attractive. They look less rigid and demanding. They look less boring than paths of righteousness. But when we stray from the path that Jesus has laid out for us, we threaten our very salvation. The paths of unrighteousness lead to unbelief very quickly and very surely.
We rely on Jesus' blood and His righteousness as the Way to heaven. We also depend on Him to guide us while we're here on this earth. The paths of righteousness were blazed by Jesus. For us to know whether we're walking on His paths or not we have a set of "blazes" (markers). We simply look at His Word and what He has described as right and wrong, safety and danger. Don't rely on your instincts. After all, you're a sheep. Rather follow the path on which your Shepherd is leading. It is a path that will not wear you out.
