Chris C shares a message titled “He Makes Me Lie Down In Green Pastures” from Psalm 23:2 as we reach week 3 in our “The Lord’s My Shepherd” sermon series. Join us for our Sunday service as we celebrate, worship, and take communion together.
Worship is led by Simon Phillips of our Glasgow Church worship team.
Message Summary & Reflection
We are continuing our sermon series on Psalm 23.
Today we will be looking at verse 2. Psalm 23 is the most quoted Old Testament passage, yet it is also the most misunderstood. The theme of the Psalm is very much about how we should live our lives rather than being a passage about the end of life or death. The Psalm itself is packed with principles about how we should live our lives if we claim to be disciples.
Verse 2 can be split up into 3 simple points:
1. “He Makes Me Lie down.”
Sheep as livestock need care and attention like no other livestock does. In order for sheep to thrive the shepherd need to really know their needs. The shepherd can only make the sheep lie down if they are free from fear, free from friction with others of their kind, free from pests and parasites, and free from hunger.
God is our shepherd. He knows our needs better than we do, and he knows how to fulfil them better than we do. God fights to protect us, but we can only be protected if we are in the field with him.
If we are not connected with the church we will have no protection. Are you connected?
In the flock, there can be friction. But if the flock is focused on the shepherd, all friction goes away. How are your relationships? Is there unspoken, unconfessed friction? If so, you might have lost your focus on God. He is our standard, he is the one who leads us. Do you let him? Are you focused on him?
Like the shepherd tending to the sheep to ensure they are free of pests, God wants to ensure we are free of sin that so easily entangled us. But the sheep can only be treated if they submit to the shepherd. We need to submit to God if we want to grow. It requires openness, vulnerability, in being known? Do you let yourself be known? Do you let yourself be discipled because you trust that God has put people in your life that will help and encourage you? Life is hard, but we can choose which hard we live. It’s hard to be vulnerable, but it might just save your soul. It’s hard to be secretive but it’ll keep you in the dark for sure and slowly drive you further and further away from God. God’s care for you will allow you to be able to lie down.
Lastly, God will make sure we do not go hungry. He will provide for us all we need. Do you trust in his provision? God will make us lie down, but we cannot do this if we are not in his presence. We cannot find rest for our souls with him.
2. “In Green Pastures”
Green pastures don’t just happen.
For people of David’s time green pastures was the promised land. The landscape would have been quite barren, and green pastures could only be created by much effort. God has gone through much effort to create this for us. This is how much he loves us. Today our green pastures is the church.
This is where we get our nourishment, our encouragement, our faith builds up. But that can only happen if we actually show up, engage, participate, share and give. Do you only show up sporadically into the green pastures?
Are you making these green pastures your home? If not, you have not yet understood the love God has for you, because you are not reciprocating it. Do you really understand God’s love? If you truly do, you would want to be in green pastures, in his church as your home.
3. “He Leads Me Beside Quiet Waters”
God will lead to us to the best waters to quench our thirst. Do you trust that God will lead us to the most refreshing waters, or do we settle for dirty puddles? God has much better in store for us.
God is our shepherd who is with us. We need not fear. If you trust in him and stay close to him, he will stay close to you. If you fix your eyes on him in your heart’s attitude and obey him, he will protect you and provide for you. God is our good shepherd.
Do you listen to his voice and do you let him lead you?
Scriptures Shared In This Message
This message will focus on the scriptures featured below:
- Psalm 23:2
