Day 4 – He Cares for Me
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. Ps 23:2-3
Continuing with the metaphor of God’s being our shepherd, this verse continues to show us the goodness of God, and how He wants to demonstrate that goodness in our lives.
Green pastures and still waters – for sheep, this is pretty much all the food they need. A major part of a shepherd’s job is to make sure the sheep are well fed. He will seek out the best meadows with lush, green grass to give his sheep a good diet. He also finds them fresh, clean water so they don’t become thirsty and parched. He wants healthy sheep, and so he does everything he can to see that their physical needs are met.
God treats us the same way. He does everything necessary to assure that our material needs are taken care of. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” There are many Scriptures like this that show God’s faithfulness is providing for us in this physical, material world.
And He doesn’t stop there. He also provides for our soul – even better, He restores our soul. He leads us beside still waters. This refers to bringing peace into our lives. He doesn’t want us to experience a life of turbulence and confusion. In fact, He has gone to great lengths to provide us with true peace – inner peace. And He has us to lie down – in a similar way, this means we are settled, not restless or wrestling with instability. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
But He goes further still, providing food and provision for us on the spiritual plane. Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Matt 4:4). Our spiritual nourishment comes from the Word of God. Just as sheep thrive on a diet of rich grass, so our spirit thrives on a rich diet of God’s Word.
Jesus also said, “He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Our spiritual bread and water come through the Word and Spirit of God.
Let us eat and drink abundantly.
Consider:
Do you allow God to lead you into peace and stability?
How well fed are you spiritually? How could you become even healthier?