One of the first scriptures I memorized as a child was Psalm 23. It was a beautiful picture of what Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, does for each of us, His sheep. It wasn’t until the last few years that I fully came to appreciate its meaning.
In Psalm, David, a shepherd boy, writes as a sheep would think and feel about his/her shepherd. “The Lord is my Shepherd” implies a profound yet practical working relationship between a person (in this case sheep) and the Savior. So, if the Lord is my Shepherd, then “I shall not want” for anything. There is nothing that I desire that He cannot provide within His will and timing. But if anyone knows anything about sheep (people), they can be wayward and subject to the problems of living in a flawed world.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures” gives us a picture of rest and assurance. Sheep will not lie down if they are afraid, if there is conflict among other sheep, if bothered by insects or parasites, or if they are hungry. Jesus, our Shepherd, can take away from us fear, the tension between and among each other, the aggravations of things that bug us, and provide full satisfaction. Then we will be able to “lie down in green pastures.”
