Rest

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 

Psalm 23:2 

Christ gives us rest. As a shepherd, David understood the basic needs of sheep. These are food, water, and rest. As he describes his relationship with Christ, his Shepherd, he says, ‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures.’ Christ provides rest as one of the basic necessities. This rest, along with the food and water is a combination which will enable the sheep to thrive. David is quite clear that this is what Christ does for him. When Christ is our Shepherd we also can say, ‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures.’ Christ has promised rest to those who come to Him, ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ He gives us rest now, even in the midst of a weary world and promises us eternal rest. ‘Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’ We find ourselves laboring at the moment, often in spiritual ways. We seek to imitate Christ in doing good to those whom we encounter. We find ourselves growing weary at times. We know the work we are doing is worthwhile, but we wear down and out over time. Christ leads us to rest in the midst of those labors and leads us onward to the eternal rest He has prepared for us. He is in every way the Good Shepherd. As we follow Him day by day to all the places He will lead us, we can be sure He will give us all we need, not the least of which is rest.  

Our Gracious Savior and our God, 
we rejoice that You know all our needs. 
We praise You that You give us rest now,  
and promise us rest for the future. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning