Another Pasture
Psalm chapter 23 verses 1 and 2 say, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
Most of us love the picture of green pastures and still waters because it sounds peaceful, safe, and like the kind of life we hope God will give us. But what happens when the field God has placed us in does not look green?
What do we do when the season feels dry, the opportunity does not look promising, the relationship feels strained, the finances feel uncertain, or our prayers seem unanswered? How do we lie down when everything inside of us wants to run?
We must remember that it’s all about the Shepherd and not about the field. The field may not look green, but the Shepherd is still good.
We often believe we will finally be able to rest when our circumstances change. We will have peace when the answer comes, rest when the relationship is restored, trust when the money is in the bank, and praise God when the door opens. But biblical peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of God in the middle of it.
Jesus said in John chapter 16 verse 33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.”
Jesus never promised that every field we grazed would feel comfortable, but He did promise that we would never walk through one alone. Psalm 23 does not say that the Shepherd only leads us beside still waters. A few verses later, David says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Some translations say, “… the valley of the shadow of death…” The same Shepherd who leads us into green pastures also walks with us through dark valleys.
God is just as present in the valley as He is in the green pasture, just as faithful in the waiting as He is in the answer, and just as good in the disappointment as He is in the breakthrough.
Sometimes, we become so focused on the condition of the field that we forget to look at the character of the Shepherd.
We look around and say, “God, this is not what I expected. This is not where I thought I would be. This does not look like the promise. This does not feel like progress.”
But God often does His greatest work in places that do not look productive. A seed buried beneath the soil may look like nothing is happening, but something is growing where no one can see it.
We may see dirt, but God sees roots.
We may see delay, but God sees preparation.
We may see an ending, but God may be creating a new beginning.
We may see an empty field, but God sees a place where our faith can grow deeper.
Isaiah chapter 55 verses 8 and 9 remind us, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”
God sees what we cannot see. He knows what He is protecting us from, what He is preparing us for, and what needs to grow inside of us before He changes what is happening around us.