Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 1
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
Remember that in our first week of study we learned that sheep cannot be driven - they must be led. I like to imagine the good shepherd as he leads his flock - coaching and coaxing them to follow his voice. The sheep, recognizing his voice, follow. They intuitively know that to follow the voice of their shepherd is good for them. Oh, to be like sheep! Lots of people who know more than I do about sheep tell us that sheep are dumb. Perhaps they are right. I suppose we can feel bright and smart and articulate and…superior to sheep. (It’s nice to feel smarter than someone; I have to get my youngest child to help me turn on my computer!) I wonder though, is it wise to see ourselves as wiser than the average sheep?
“Don’t let the wise brag of their wisdom. Don’t let heroes brag of their exploits.
Don’t let the rich brag of their riches. If you brag, brag of this and this only:
That you understand and know me. I’m God, and I act in loyal love.
I do what’s right and set things right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things. These are my trademarks.”
God’s Decree. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, The Message)
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV
Maybe sheep are dumb as rocks – I don’t know. But I know this – I envy the simple faith of sheep. Once they learn the value of following the familiar voice of their shepherd – they follow. I know we all desire to be thought of as bright, smart, articulate people. Who wants to be known as a big old dummy? But here’s the thing – a God-centered life turns the world upside down. Take a few moments today and invite the Holy Spirit to turn you upside down, so that He might ultimately set you right side up. Ask Him: when did I think I was wise, but was really a fool? When have I thought I was rich, when I was truly impoverished? In what areas of my life have I been over-confident about my personal strengths? In what areas of personal weakness have I failed to notice the potential for blessing – if I will follow the voice of my good shepherd? Don’t you long to experience the rest that comes from being led by quiet waters? Follow the voice of your good shepherd…
Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 2
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
Did you know that sheep can go for long periods of time without drinking? It’s true. If the weather is not too warm, a sheep can survive on the moisture found in the green pastures. The water in the grasses combined with the early morning dew on the grass sustains the sheep. If the shepherd rouses them early, the dew quenches their thirst. If the weather turns too warm, if there is no dew, if the grass withers and dries out, the sheep grow restless. The shepherd then searches for quiet waters where the sheep can quench their thirst.
Restlessness is an indicator of an unmet need. Our dog Max thinks he’s human. He definitely does not think he is a black lab. Most labs I know like to play outside, fetch almost anything, frolic in water, and generally act like big dogs. Not our lab. We take him out to play and he sneaks back in the house. He has been trained to not sit on the furniture, but I admit that when we’re not home he knocks pillows off the sofa and rests his head on them! He adores a good game of hide and seek. He likes to hold hands. He tries to talk. But when he really, really needs something – he gets restless. He’s trained us well. When he’s restless, we’ve learned to ask: Max, are you thirsty? Do you need to go out? Are you ready to eat? Do you want to play? Sheep, dogs and humans – when we are needy, we feel restless.
Is your restless meter registering a code red? Is your satisfaction level low and your sense of unease high? Are you thirsty? God says that if we’re thirsty, we are blessed. Ask God to quench your thirst with sustenance that only He can provide. Be prepared to notice how God meets your needs today.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV
You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. Matthew 5:6 The Message
Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 3
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
Once upon a time, Jesus asked for a drink of water (see John 4). He had been traveling and was tired from his journey. In response to his restlessness, he sat down by a well. When a woman came to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. Compared to the wedding where Jesus performed his first miracle (at his mother’s insistence) and turned water into wine this story seems kind of…dull. He was Jesus – why does he need to ask for assistance? Couldn’t He just command the water to jump up out of the well and into his mouth? Why not just rebuke his thirst and demand it go away? Those two options would add some spice to the account! My goodness, this was the Son of God – he healed a blind man, made a paraplegic walk, drove demons out of a young boy, raised the dead, fed thousands with a child’s lunch box – what’s up with him asking some woman for a drink of water?
If you’ve investigated the life of Jesus, you’ve probably realized that wherever He goes, things happen. He tells a simple story. Upon reflection, and sometimes a little research, the listener realizes that more is going on in the story than one realizes. The key to finding the deeper meaning lies in taking the time to reflect.
In this story Jesus is asking for water - a simple request. But he is waiting for an invitation to perform a miracle. Could it be that He is sitting and waiting for you? Is he making you lie down in green pastures, and leading you beside quiet waters so that you can join the woman at the well – and experience a miracle too?
Take a few moments and sit quietly. Picture Jesus sitting with you. Like the woman at the well, you may believe that you’re responding to a simple request from your good shepherd: come, follow me and I will lead you beside the quiet waters. Is there more to your story than you have previously realized?
“Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me
and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-38 NIV
Jesus isn’t merely asking something of you, He desires passionately to put something within you – His Holy Spirit.
Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 4
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
In Jesus’ day, Jewish people went out of their way to avoid traveling through Samaria (see John 4). The Samaritan people were considered “less than.” No self-respecting Jew would be caught dead hanging out with Samaritans! Are there any places in your community that you skirt around because they are unsavory? If so, than you can relate to the Jewish people and their penchant for avoiding Samaria. Jesus was in the habit of hanging out with people others ignored and going places most avoided.
The grace of God says to you and to me, “I can make last place more significant than first place. I will use prostitutes to teach others about gratitude. I will use lepers as examples of cleanliness. I will take men who persecute the church and make them its pillars. I will take the dead and give them life. I will take uneducated fishermen and make them fishers of men. God’s grace does not exist to make us successful. God’s grace exists to point people to a love like no other love they have ever known. A love outside the lines. The grace of God is indiscriminate, foolish, impractical, unrealistic, crazy, and naïve. (Selected passages from chapter 8 of Dangerous Wonder by Michael Yaconelli.)
Sometimes we not only ignore others, we ignore ourselves. Is there some hard truth about yourself that you’ve been avoiding? Do you struggle to make eye contact when you face a mirror? Is there a story in your life that fills you with shame any time your mind flits across the memory? In a world that measures our worth by the yardstick of perform – perform - perform, isn’t it comforting to realize that God’s indiscriminate, foolish, impractical, unrealistic, crazy and naïve grace took our measure long ago and came back with this reading – “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)” (Ephesians 1:4-5 The Message)
As Yaconelli so eloquently states, “The grace of God is indiscriminate, foolish, impractical, unrealistic, crazy and naïve.” As you take a few minutes to lie in green pastures and be led by quiet waters, I urge you to stop ignoring the parts of yourself that you find unsavory. It’s time for the endless avoidance to come to an end. Allow God to lead you to His grace.
Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 5
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
Samaria wasn’t the only thing that most people avoided in the story of John 4. If you read the account of the Samaritan woman at the well, you’ll see that her life style probably isolated her from the other women in the neighborhood. (According to Jesus she had been the wife of five husbands, and was currently with a man to whom she was not married - scandalous behavior for her day.) Can you imagine her life? Do the other women fear her? Despise her wanton ways? As she walks down the street, is her head bowed? Do others avert their gaze to avoid making eye contact? Is she lonely? Restless? Does she have an unquenchable thirst for something that she can’t define? Regardless of her current condition, Jesus asks her for a drink, and she is amazed that he would stoop so low as to make this request of her.
He responds to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Everyone who drinks this water [picture Jesus nodding toward the well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Selected verses from John 4, NIV)
“I can’t get no satisfaction” may be a line from an old song, or it may describe your life. I think Jesus is saying to us all – “Yes, you can get satisfaction – but it will come only through me. Come, taste what I have to offer.” I pray that today you will lie down in green pastures and allow God to lead you beside quiet waters.
Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 6
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
One night recently my husband and I were left home alone – all our children were off enjoying their own friends. We decided to have a date night! As we sat over a romantic dinner for two (translation: we weren’t at a fast food restaurant with several teenage boys) - I did something that my husband doesn’t like at all – I asked him to daydream. He’s a pretty practical, down to earth kind of guy, and daydreaming isn’t his idea of a hot date.
Since we’ve been married almost twenty-eight years he knew just how to respond. He said to me, “You go first!” So I did. I told him that I dreamed of a day when we would be literally planted by streams of living water. Like the Psalmist, (“You’re like a tree planted by streams of living water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.” – Psalm 1:3 NIV) I believe if I were planted by a body of water, my life would be sweet. If I’m really dreaming, I want to be planted by a BIG body of water – the Atlantic Ocean? – that would work for me!
I proceed to suggest to my dearly beloved that I could make a case for a beach house using Psalm 23. Doesn’t God say he wants us to be led beside quiet waters? My husband doesn’t quite agree with my wildly loose application of the text. But I do think we all long for and appreciate the soothing properties of water.
If that’s true, than why do we run so hard from our resting place – our quiet waters?
“My people have committed a compound sin: they’ve walked out on me, the fountain of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns – cisterns that leak, cisterns that are not better than sieves. Take a long, hard look at what you’ve done and its bitter results. Was it worth it to have walked out on your God?” selected verses, Jeremiah 2, The Message
Jeremiah’s people didn’t see their own sin. They blamed their troubles on God. Before we go any further in our devotional study, do you have a leaky cistern that you’ve picked up with the hopes of finding satisfaction – and forgotten God in the process? Ask God to reveal to you any leaky cisterns that you need to discard. Then, allow his wild and crazy grace to wash you clean.
Week 4
He leads me beside quiet waters, NIV
You find me quiet pools to drink from.
The Message
Day 7
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures ,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
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.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
I didn’t go to church often as a child. Sometimes in the summer my grandparents took me. Once I went to Vacation Bible School. Even I, a relatively uneducated child of God, knew the story of David. He’s the guy who shot Goliath with a slingshot! He’s the best king ever! He was a man after God’s own heart. He committed adultery, got his lover pregnant, and then had her husband killed to hide his crime? Yes. All of these things are true of David. (That last part I only learned as an adult.) He also wrote Psalm 51, after the prophet Nathan came to him and confronted him with his sin.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love,
according
to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away
my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the
inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will
be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have
crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51:1-12 NIV
Perhaps you don’t think you deserve green pastures and quiet waters. OK. Maybe you are right. But know this: God desires for you to have them, not because of who you are, or who you are not – but because of who He is – won’t you accept His gift today?
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