Psalm 23:1-2

 

 

 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

 

Sheep do not lie down until they are completely content and free of fear. Through this analogy of the Lord God as the good shepherd and His people as sheep whom He causes to lie down, the psalmist is declaring the exceeding goodness of the Lord towards His own. He is letting all of God’s people know that the Father God is the Ultimate Provider and that there is a place in Him where they can be safe, satisfied, and at ease.

 

But there is a prerequisite to enjoying this place of rest in God. Did you notice that the psalmist begins by saying that the Lord is his shepherd? Shepherds lead and guide their flock; their sheep know their voice and the voice of a stranger they do not follow. If you want to be like the psalmist and enjoy this place in God, then you must make the Lord the one whose voice you know and follow.