Psalm 23 Musings - THE PASTURE
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul”
When I read this part of Psalm 23, its the “He restores my soul” that grabs me. I remember the day when He said this to ME. I was in deep need of some soul restoration, and He whispered “that’s what I do”.
The restoration of the soul is what we all ache for, whether we know it or not - sin, brokenness, trauma, pain - they tear and wear on the human soul. Without restoration we cease to show up the way we were made. We show up hollow, torn, and living out of broken places instead of fullness.
Just the mention of green pastures and still waters can make the soul hope.
They beckon to us with a promise that things can be made well. They are an invitation to experience rest, nourishment, quiet, and peace. I love picturing a lush green meadow, a beautiful stream, and the Shepherd there, just present. This mental image certainly describes what it can feel like to sit in His presence and let Him restore us.
But David might have had a different mental image as he was writing. Israel, particularly where David lived was an arid land. Shepherds in that region knew that “green pastures” meant small, sparse tufts of grass that grew along the rocky terrain. They were dedicated and skilled at finding just enough green grass to supply for each of their sheep. It was not relaxed lush meadows, but carefully and mindfully provided sustenance.
Fast moving streams are treacherous for sheep, their heavy wool can get wet and pull them under and down. So David is being clear when He says “still waters”. In desert places, not all water is safe or still. David may even be emphasizing “still” as opposed to fast or loud - like flash floods that are not entirely uncommon in these desert places. David is expressing something far more significant than “the Shepherd takes us to a nice river spot.” He is saying My Shepherd is a GOOD one. He does His job skillfully and well. Even in arid places, He knows how to find water that is clean, still, and safe.
As David continues to celebrate that His Shepherd is really good at His job, that He has all He needs because it is Yahweh Himself that guides Him - it might do us some good to use our imaginations a little too.
What does this mean for us?
If Jesus is MY Shepherd, I can trust that He knows where to find the grass in hard dry places. When life is one rocky uphill climb, I can rest in knowing I will have what I need to keep going. I do not need to fear the flash floods of life. My Shepherd knows how to skillfully lead me around dangerous places and to the still pools of water that will refresh and restore.
The ultimate promise here is soul restoration. Your soul is the place in you that holds your longest memories, your deepest pain, your most intense longings - He says He will RESTORE.
In Hebrew, “restore” carries the idea of “returning back to”.
If you have experienced trauma, disappointment, brokenness, pain, sin (are you human?) - the promise is that He will return you to your original design and purpose. He will bring to your soul what it needs to live out of the fullness of all it was made for.
But this promise of soul restoration is two fold, I believe. The Shepherd does it - He is the provider, guide, empowerer, and sustainer - but does any sheep keep company alone?
Sheep are flock animals.
They get depressed, distressed, and fearful when they are isolated. They were designed for life in a flock. And so are you. The Shepherd tends to a flock with incredible love and care for each individual sheep. But the sheep exist as a collective, in a community of belonging. Sheep enjoying the green pastures and still waters are doing so together.
You also belong to a collective.
If you see yourself out there alone, know that being near the Shepherd means being near the flock. He will come after that one lost sheep, because the one MATTERS. But what does He do with that lost one? He restores them. To Himself, and to the group.
Soul restoration cannot happen in isolation. It happens in belonging to a community, guided and provided for by The Good Shepherd. Just as we have to be honest about our needs to receive from Him, we need that with each other too. To not have needs is to not belong.
If you belong to the Shepherd you also belong to a family, a body, a great cloud of witnesses. Your soul will experience the true healing and restoration it longs for when you trust in the Shepherd to guide the process, and you embrace that it happens in the company of your fellow sheep.
James encourages us “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”. Being open, vulnerable, and honest in the company of your fellows brings healing. Restoration. Returning.
If restoration is returning to our true design, then restoration includes being seen and known by others. If sheep hide, they die. So come out of hiding, know the Shepherd will skillfully guide each step, and you are in good company… don’t forget, all the other sheep are also just sheep. They have the same need as you.
"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten... You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you". Isaiah 40:31.
"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint". Isaiah 61:7.
"Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion, instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy". 1 Peter 5:10
