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Verse(s): Psalm 23:2-3
He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name.
You’ve been exploring this meadow with the Shepherd for a while now. It’s such a wonderful place, full of bustling life and breathtaking beauty.
If you’re being honest, you’re starting to feel a little tired from all the walking. But there’s still so much more to see, and you don’t want to miss anything. You certainly don’t want to admit to the Shepherd that you’re feeling weary. What if He thinks you’re weak or incapable? So you push ahead toward a hill and start climbing—until you feel a hand fall lightly on your shoulder.
You’re exhausted, the Shepherd says patiently. He fills a cup with water from the stream and offers it to you. Why don’t you lie down and rest? I’ll be right here.
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God’s fourth commandment to Moses on Mt. Sinai is so surprising. He says, “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:8-10 NLT).
Put plainly: rest isn’t a suggestion. It’s a command.
From the beginning, God demonstrated the rhythm of work and rest in His act of creation: six days He spoke all things into existence, and the seventh day He rested, delighting in what He had made.
Since we’re made in His image, God wants us to model the same rhythm. He knew we wouldn’t have unlimited capacity. He knew we wouldn’t be able to operate at 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. Rest is a command, but it’s also an incredible gift we so often don’t take full advantage of.
The reality is, we don’t always know what’s best for ourselves. We run ragged in the name of productivity and accomplishment. At any given moment our hearts are being pulled in a hundred different directions—by our families, our jobs, our own desires, by the culture we’re living in. With so many shouting voices trying to tell us what’s best, and so many tasks piling up on our to-do lists, it can start to feel impossible to distinguish right from wrong, the safe path from the treacherous path.
So really, it’s no wonder we have such a hard time quieting our thoughts at the end of the day. But the good news is—you don’t have to know what’s best for you. You don’t have to know where you’re going or what’s ahead. You don’t need to have it all figured out. All you have to know is where your Shepherd is. Just keep Him in your sight and then let Him work out the rest; He knows exactly what you need.
And the best part of all is that when you let Him guide you, it brings glory to His name.
As you prepare for bed tonight, accept the rest the Good Shepherd is offering you. Let Him renew your strength. Let Him lead you beside still, quiet waters that refresh and restore your soul.
