Mensa Otabil - He Makes Me Lie Down
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We’re looking at Psalm 23, which is popular, and learning lessons about how God takes care of us. We go to verse number two: «He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.» The shepherd’s care for his sheep is seen in how that care is provided, how the shepherd takes care of the sheep.
Now, no matter how well-intentioned a person is, if you go to a cafeteria and somebody wants to serve you food but they throw the food at you, although it’s supposed to be something to nourish you, you’ll see it as an insult. So, it’s not just so much that you have food to give but how you provide the food. So how does God take care of His own? He is a provider, but how does He do it? David, using his own experiences, states, «He makes me lie down.» He makes me lie down. Sheep are normally nervous by nature; they easily get agitated. When they are hungry, they become very agitated; they don’t lie down. They move on, and they don’t have any rest for their soul. It’s like most of us-you know when we have a problem, we have no rest. So we are anxious, we are disturbed. When God wants to minister to us, the first thing He wants to do is make us lie down. He wants us to relax; He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to be at peace. He makes us lie down, and for the sheep, that is the best place to be because God wants us to trust Him as our provider.
Then David says, «He makes me lie down in green pastures.» The green pastures are the places where the shepherd will lead his flock to find the best meal to eat. He says He makes us rest. In other words, when the sheep are eating in a pasture, after they have eaten, they have to learn to relax and enjoy the moment, enjoy God’s provision, enjoy what God is doing for them. You know, many times God is working for us. God is hearing our prayers. We say, «Lord, help me.» He hears us, but we’re still agitated. We read the Bible, and God says, «Be still; I am the Lord,» yet we are still not still. We are like the sheep; we are always on the run, always disturbed, always overwhelmed by something. But God wants us to lie down. David says He makes me. He gently guides me to a point where I can relax and allow His word-the grass, the pastures-to be my natural spot. May God bring us to the point where we can trust in Him so much that we can lie down and allow Him to minister life to us, strength to us, and wisdom to us.
Then he says, «He leads me beside the still waters.» Isn’t it interesting? If you look at the words he’s using: «I lie down in green pastures; I am led to the still waters.» I’m not led just to wander in the pastures but to sleep in the pastures or rest in the pastures and go to the still waters. Why is he talking about that? Because, as I said, sheep are very nervous; when the waters are boisterous and flowing very fast, they can’t drink from it. So the shepherds of David’s day would dam a portion of the river so it would stop flowing very hard and become still calm water, waters that are not boisterous, so the sheep can relax and take in the refreshment of the drink of the fresh water that the shepherd provides for them. God knows how to take us to the spot where we can be anxious for nothing; we can be at peace so that His word can refresh us and His Spirit can renew us.
I trust that as we turn to Him in this intimate relationship as our Shepherd, we will learn to take in the green pastures and the still waters so that our souls can be nourished. Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, You are my provider. I trust You to lead me into places of abundance and peace. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. Pastor Mensa Otabil, Shalom, peace and life to you.