Have you ever driven down a familiar street, one that you have traveled hundreds of times, and all of a sudden you notice something you never noticed before? “I never noticed that before.” It was obviously there all this time, but you just weren’t paying attention to it. It never caught your eye. It blended into the background. And now that you notice it, you wonder how many other things you are missing. Maybe you are going crazy!
The familiar road has many things to still teach us. But we must be willing to look at it with a fresh set of eyes. Maybe we take a bike ride or a walk down the road, and our slower speed gives us the time to really observe what is there. But we must take the opportunity afforded by the slower pace to gain insight. Slower doesn’t’ automatically produce keener observation. Some things just can’t be seen whizzing by in a car in the road. Some things must be observed from a standstill.
I have just such a street very close to my house. Months driving down the street had passed before I realized there was a condemned structure hidden in plain sight. And now the more I walk the street, the more things I see. This street had always just been a way to get to my destination. Now it is a destination.
Today’s psalm is the most loved psalm, and perhaps one of the most famous passage from the Bible. And I fear that it is so familiar that we pass right by it without gleaning the treasures. So I want to invite you to slow down with me. I won’t pretend to glean everything from this passage, but maybe a few refreshing nuggets.
For most of us the imagery of shepherding is not part of our normal daily experience. We only gather what being a shepherd is like from movies. We have no direct experience with sheep except as the special meal or our favorite sweater. But for some people, sheep are their life. While traveling in the England, Wales and Scotland recently I was struck by the hillsides covered with sheep. There are over 22 million sheep in this small area and there are only about 60 million people. So if you remove the population of the cities, sheep vastly outnumber the rural people.
Having the LORD as a shepherd means that he will provide everything we need for life. Sheep are very dependent creatures. They need a shepherd or they will run out of food and water. They don’t look for food as other animals do. They just eat what is put in front of them. If the shepherd weren’t there, they would eat the food at their feet and then wonder what to do next. It is the shepherd who makes sure they don’t lack what they need.
When the LORD is leading us, we won’t lack either. That doesn’t mean we will never miss a full gourmet meal or drive the newest SUV, but that our needs will be met. Needs, not wants.
Two essentials that will be provided are food and water. For sheep, both must be provided in the right proportions and timing. Not enough food, sickness and death. Not enough water, sickness and death. So for the LORD to provide a place to eat fresh green grass is sheep paradise. Remember, they won’t go looking for fresher grass. They will just eat what is before them, right at their feet. Sheep must be led to fresh grass. Cows and horses seek out fresh grass. Not sheep.
But water is also essential. And sheep are vulnerable to drowning. Their heavy coats of wool can drag them under. So quiet water, shallow with little or no current, is needed. This is fresh water, not a stagnant pool teaming with parasites. And sheep need to be led there. Their water finding skills aren’t refined. They need a shepherd.
And sheep need refreshing, just like we do. We need our souls refreshed, reenergized, reinvigorated. Much of our problem today is the fact that we are too busy. We don’t have time to lie down in those green pastures or spend time at the quiet waters. We always have some other place to be. We seem to fill our calendars with stuff. Maybe it is time to schedule some time of refreshing.
The Arnold Journey 