Psalm 23:2b-4, "He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..."
I sure like it when the Lord leads me beside quite waters. The whole, 'Be still and know that I am God' thing is quite nice. The, 'Come to me...and I will give you rest'? Very nice, indeed. I could park my little lamb rump in this green pasture forever, just lounging beside the stream. Truly, it is in the season of rest, of lying down in green pastures and being led by quiet waters, when our soul is restored. But what is the purpose of restoration? Once it is completed...then what? More green pastures? More quiet streams?
According to this passage, it seems that after our restoration, our Shepherd leads us away from the quiet waters and onto a path. A path isn't a place you park your sheep seat; on the contrary, a path is made for a journey, for a walk that leads you to your next destination. This passage says that the path laid out for us to walk on is righteousness. The Hebrew word here is tsedeq which literally means, 'right.' Righteousness or 'rightness' is all about God's ways. You see, if I had the choice of leaving my quiet stream...I wouldn't. I'd stay by the waters. Buuuut, if forced to leave and forced to make a choice of which path to follow? I'd find the easiest path and walk on that one; ya know, the one that is littered with lillies, daises, and bunnies frolicking along the way. But righteousness isn't about MY ways...it's about HIS ways. It's HIS path He takes us down. And His path? It's the right one.
So, I'm reluctantly leaving my little stream to follow the Shepherd on this path when lo, and behold, where do I find myself??? In the middle of the freakin' valley of death's shadow (vs. 4)!!!! Seriously?!? THIS is the right path?!?? THIS is righteousness?!?? "Nay!" my heart screams. We must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque. But, as I cast my fearful eyes off of the shadows and onto the Shepherd, I find that he is peaceful, smiling even...and still leading me on. I'm crying out, "Shepherd, don't you think we missed our turn? This path you've taken me down cannot be right! Don't you remember our quiet little stream? The green pastures? The leaks and garlic we had back in Egypt? (oh, wait...wrong story)." But, still, the Shepherd leads me on. How can He be so confident?
Have you ever ridden with someone who was driving and you just knew that you knew that you knew that THEY KNEW NOT where they were going? The driver keeps insisting to you that they know exactly where they are going...and that you just need to...what's that word again? Oh, yes! Trust! You just need to trust them. As you roll your eyes and sigh heavily, sure enough! The driver pulls onto the right route. They did know where they were going. They had you on the right path all along. You, however, just didn't realize it. See where I'm going with this? This is exactly why our Shepherd is so confident. He not only has the map for our journey...he WROTE the map and knows exactly where he is leading us. We may look around and see the depths of the valley, the dark shadows of pain and heartache closing in all around, and be confused by the direction he seems to be taking us; but our Savior knows the way.
If a sheep follows the wrong path and falls into a hole, it's not the sheep's name that is on the line...it's the Shepherd's name. It's the One who is leading the way that has everything at stake. I cannot tell you how many times I've been driving a church van full of teenaged cargo with the understanding that I am in charge; that all responsibility for their safety and for the right destination falls upon me. How much more does our Shepherd take the weight of responsibility upon himself in leading our very lives and destinies? Beloved, our Savior is so invested in us, so committed to us, He has put His very name at stake in leading us along. He has staked his reputation as God Almighty into this thing! When I feel like I am lost in this dark valley, it encourages my heart to know that God has said, "Child, I have attached My name to your journey. I will receive glory from your path and your destination! I guarantee it or my name is not Jehovah Shalom, your peace; Jehovah Jireh, your provider; Jehovah Rophe, your restorer; Jehovah Tsidkenu, your righteousness; Jehovah Shamma, the Lord who is with you!"
So, don't fear little flock! The journey you are on may seem like it's taking a big dip down into the valley, but the Shepherd has promised this is the right path. Keep your eyes on him, not on death's shadows, for the path of righteousness will lead you to still waters again.
I sure like it when the Lord leads me beside quite waters. The whole, 'Be still and know that I am God' thing is quite nice. The, 'Come to me...and I will give you rest'? Very nice, indeed. I could park my little lamb rump in this green pasture forever, just lounging beside the stream. Truly, it is in the season of rest, of lying down in green pastures and being led by quiet waters, when our soul is restored. But what is the purpose of restoration? Once it is completed...then what? More green pastures? More quiet streams?
According to this passage, it seems that after our restoration, our Shepherd leads us away from the quiet waters and onto a path. A path isn't a place you park your sheep seat; on the contrary, a path is made for a journey, for a walk that leads you to your next destination. This passage says that the path laid out for us to walk on is righteousness. The Hebrew word here is tsedeq which literally means, 'right.' Righteousness or 'rightness' is all about God's ways. You see, if I had the choice of leaving my quiet stream...I wouldn't. I'd stay by the waters. Buuuut, if forced to leave and forced to make a choice of which path to follow? I'd find the easiest path and walk on that one; ya know, the one that is littered with lillies, daises, and bunnies frolicking along the way. But righteousness isn't about MY ways...it's about HIS ways. It's HIS path He takes us down. And His path? It's the right one.
So, I'm reluctantly leaving my little stream to follow the Shepherd on this path when lo, and behold, where do I find myself??? In the middle of the freakin' valley of death's shadow (vs. 4)!!!! Seriously?!? THIS is the right path?!?? THIS is righteousness?!?? "Nay!" my heart screams. We must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque. But, as I cast my fearful eyes off of the shadows and onto the Shepherd, I find that he is peaceful, smiling even...and still leading me on. I'm crying out, "Shepherd, don't you think we missed our turn? This path you've taken me down cannot be right! Don't you remember our quiet little stream? The green pastures? The leaks and garlic we had back in Egypt? (oh, wait...wrong story)." But, still, the Shepherd leads me on. How can He be so confident?
Have you ever ridden with someone who was driving and you just knew that you knew that you knew that THEY KNEW NOT where they were going? The driver keeps insisting to you that they know exactly where they are going...and that you just need to...what's that word again? Oh, yes! Trust! You just need to trust them. As you roll your eyes and sigh heavily, sure enough! The driver pulls onto the right route. They did know where they were going. They had you on the right path all along. You, however, just didn't realize it. See where I'm going with this? This is exactly why our Shepherd is so confident. He not only has the map for our journey...he WROTE the map and knows exactly where he is leading us. We may look around and see the depths of the valley, the dark shadows of pain and heartache closing in all around, and be confused by the direction he seems to be taking us; but our Savior knows the way.
If a sheep follows the wrong path and falls into a hole, it's not the sheep's name that is on the line...it's the Shepherd's name. It's the One who is leading the way that has everything at stake. I cannot tell you how many times I've been driving a church van full of teenaged cargo with the understanding that I am in charge; that all responsibility for their safety and for the right destination falls upon me. How much more does our Shepherd take the weight of responsibility upon himself in leading our very lives and destinies? Beloved, our Savior is so invested in us, so committed to us, He has put His very name at stake in leading us along. He has staked his reputation as God Almighty into this thing! When I feel like I am lost in this dark valley, it encourages my heart to know that God has said, "Child, I have attached My name to your journey. I will receive glory from your path and your destination! I guarantee it or my name is not Jehovah Shalom, your peace; Jehovah Jireh, your provider; Jehovah Rophe, your restorer; Jehovah Tsidkenu, your righteousness; Jehovah Shamma, the Lord who is with you!"
So, don't fear little flock! The journey you are on may seem like it's taking a big dip down into the valley, but the Shepherd has promised this is the right path. Keep your eyes on him, not on death's shadows, for the path of righteousness will lead you to still waters again.
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