Green Meadows~

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.

Verse Two: He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.

This second verse is so appealing; it brings images of beauty and comfort.  (There’s a reason the Bible doesn’t say, “He lets me rest in the brown weeds; He leads me beside stagnant waters.”)

This website – http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html - provides the definitions of different colors.  The meaning of green is inspirational:

“Green symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety.  It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance.  In heraldry, green indicates growth and hope. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free passage in road traffic.”

Now we know why God uses this descriptive language; it’s the ideal scenario.  Real actual sheep lie down with full bellies without a care in the world because their shepherd watches over them.  When we believe that God is in control and that He watches over us and those we care about, then resting fully and completely without a worry in the world is possible. We lie down in safety knowing we will get up in joy, peace, hope, and harmony.

However…

Right before I wrote this DEVO I had a conversation with someone who has some worries.  The actual words were, “I am just waiting for the bomb to go off.”

I think we’ve all been there and felt that way.  Still, God wants us to rest, but sometimes it’s 

difficult to relax with so much going on.  Besides, how does God even lead us to rest?

The first step is prayer.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Over and over again the Bible says You will give us rest when we come to You. Right now we come straight to You and only You.  We shut out everything and everyone else and look to You to give us the rest in the green meadows we so desperately need.  By faith we receive it.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~