Rest and Peace
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: Rest and Peace--------------------------------------- Date: 05/23/2000
Keywords:
"green pastures" "quiet" "rest"
"still"
Welcome
to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual
temptation.
Today we continue looking at one of the most-often
memorized and recited passage of the Old Testament. There's a reason it is so well-used --
it never wears out! Let's take a fresh look and see what it has to say to us in the face
of today's pressures and strains. We'll look at verse 2 today.
Passage: Psalm 23:1-6*
1. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet
waters,
3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
4. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Questions
1. When you're in a quiet peaceful place, do you rest, or do you
look for something to do?
2. When you rest, do you feel restless or guilty, like you should be
doing something else?
Practical help
What strikes me as interesting about verse 2 is that the good
shepherd "makes" his sheep lie down. It sounds as if the sheep aren't inclined
to lie down on their own, but want to keep grazing and moving, eventually moving beyond
earshot of their master's voice. They have to be forced to take a break. Think about it --
if a sheep lies down in a pasture, he could keep grazing for a little while, but
eventually he'd have to stop, having pretty well demolished the grass in the immediate
vicinity of his face. Then there's nothing left to do but rest, and wait for the master's
next command.
The idea of being led beside quiet waters sounds appealing, too. I
love a raging river -- it's exciting to witness the power of tons and tons of water
flowing unstoppably downhill. But I also love the quiet babbling brook. Resting beside it
is a chance to unclutter the mind and meditate on who God is.
How is it with you? Do you feel like you must constantly be on the
move to stay a step ahead of the game? Does it seem selfish or lazy to take some time out
to just rest, to just be? This verse gives us a hint that God values not only the activity
of battle in his name, but the inactivity of peaceful rest. He can use that time to enter
through the tough exterior and impress upon you the nature of his love for you. If we fill
every moment with activity, we can numb ourselves to the damaging effects of the battle
scars, and then illicit activities like viewing porn can seem like just another thing to
do. When we rest, we have time to reflect, to meditate, and to quietly consider ourselves
in relationship to the good shepherd.
Do yourself a favor and make some time for rest away from the things
that clamor to occupy your time -- the computer, the phone, the TV. Find a park or a quiet
street to walk on. Spend your time thinking and praying, and listening for the shepherd's
next word.
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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.