Verse: Psalm 23:2-3
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Devotional Thoughts:
Psalm 23 has to be one of the most beloved, widely read Scripture passages in the entire Bible. For some reason, this Psalm resonates with us. It hits us deep, and leaves us with a profound appreciation for the shepherding nature of God.
These two verses center around what God is doing for David. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He restores my soul. He leads me. In short, God is giving David rest. Still waters. Green pastures. That is the picture of refreshing rest.
But not only is He giving him rest, He’s also giving him restoration. Restores my soul. Leads me in the paths of righteousness. That is the picture of soul care. As the Shepherd, God is giving him both rest and restoration.
Has it ever struck you that God gives us more than we deserve? And He not only gives us more than we deserve, He gives us more than we could ever expect.
Track with me for a moment here.
In Exodus 2, the Israelites were still working as slaves in Egypt. The passage says that they cried out, and “their cry came up to God because of the bondage.” They were crying out to God for deliverance from their bondage. But God had so much more planned. He tells Moses, in the very next chapter, that He’s going to deliver the Israelites from their bondage. But, He’s going to do even more than that. He’s going to “bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” He gives deliverance and an inheritance.
This theme is seen all throughout the Bible. He doesn’t just give water, but rather gives living water. He doesn’t just provide us our daily bread, He gives us the bread of life. He doesn’t just give us peace, He gives us perfect peace.
He doesn’t just give us life, He gives us life abundantly. He doesn’t just give us victory, He makes us more than conquerors. He doesn’t just make us saints, He makes us ambassadors sent on His behalf. He doesn’t just promise to be there for us in the times that we pray, He promises to be with us always, to the end of the age. He doesn’t just save us from sin, He brings us into the family as sons and daughters.
He doesn’t just lead the sheep, He lays down His life for the sheep.
Points to Ponder:
I want to encourage you today. God knows what you need. Jesus said “your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
He knows what you need before you ask. He knows what you need even when you don’t even know.
And the Bible makes it clear that He does more for us than we could ever want or expect.
So call on Him. Trust Him. Follow Him.
I want to leave you with a verse:
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
– Ephesians 3:20-21
Blessings,
Zac
