Green Pastures

 Green Pastures

April 26, 2025

Psalms 23:1-2 (NASB95) 1 A Psalm of David. 

TheLORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

In “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Keller describes all the work that a shepherd needs to do to provide green pastures and good water for his sheep. Left on their own, without a good shepherd, sheep will overgraze and kill the grass and will trample and polute a water hole. A shepherd must provide fresh pasture, free of noxious weeds, and rotate the sheep through new pastures on a regular schedule. He must also clean out the water source and ensure that clean, fresh water is flowing smoothly. In some climates, all the water that sheep need can be provided by the dew on fresh grass, so both can be supplied together.

In the Christian life,  regular feeding on the Word of God is essential for maintaining spiritual health. Fresh Word, watered by the spirit of the living God, keeps us from growing undernourished and parched. When we open our Bible every morning, we provide opportunity for the Spirit to talk to us, to encourage us, and to guide us. Left in our own, with out “green grass”, our life can become stale and worn out. We need the new Word every morning to keep our faith fresh. Fellowship with other believers also helps us find fresh pasture. Like sheep, we can get in a rut, going over the same path, over and over until it is worn and bare. The Good Shepherd, through the voice of the Holy Spirit, the written Word, and the guidance of fellow  Christians , can guide us to green pastures and still waters. So today, seek the Lord and rest in the green pastures that He provides.