We didn’t witness it this year, but the great annual cow migration at our neighbor’s farm has been successfully accomplished! Every summer, the stalwart farmers down the road open the pasture gates, and the herd crosses the road to fresh pasture.
On our morning walk, the evidence was everywhere: freshly driven fence posts and a full water trough surrounded by well-trampled grass.
“The girls have crossed the road!” we shouted, and then I said, “Imagine what it must have been like for them to find all this fresh grass, all this green pasture just for them!”
And, of course, as the words floated out of my mouth in a Tuesday morning thought balloon, I remembered the opening words of the Shepherd’s psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3)
Daily, I experience the kind of provision our farmer friends down the road lavish on their herd.
I’m not especially good at being a sheep, but even so, I wake up every morning belly deep in green pasture, freely enjoying the Good Shepherd’s abundance:
running water, cozy shelter, a web of supportive relationships, access to health care, the advantage of literacy, and I could go on…
(Likely, you could add to that list, too, and I hope you will.)
Let’s turn Psalm 23 into a prayer for all of us sheep who live in green pastures:
“Lord, you are my shepherd.
That means I’m not on my own.
Show me how to be your sheep.
So often I want to go my own way and do my own thing.
I need you to use your rod and your staff to rescue me from the danger of leaving the green pasture you've provided in pursuit of a mirage.
I need the restoration of soul that only you can provide.
I know you have sheep in hard places, walking in dark times, and I lift them up to you for your blessing and my faithful remembrance in prayer.
Thank you for the green grass under my feet, for your rich provision and refreshment, and for every single blessing, so numerous and so lavishly given.
Thank you for goodness and mercy so evident that even I can't miss it—if I just pay attention.
Every day you remind me that you didn't come merely to save but also to satisfy."
And all God’s sheep said, “Amen!”
I’m not especially good at being a sheep, but even so, I wake up every morning belly deep in green pasture, freely enjoying the Good Shepherd’s abundance.
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Living Our Days 
Amen!
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The Lord definitely blesses us each day with abundance and his wonderfully beautiful Earth. Love the analysis you give of the prayer. We truly are very lucky even in the rough times to have Him on our side. Happy Sunday.
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Maybe ESPECIALLY in the rough times!
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Amen!
Loved your take on the 23rd Psalm which is definitely one of my favorites. I’m always sharing about the time in 2019 when I felt the Lord ask me, “What if you really believed that goodness and mercy are chasing you down?” I love how you pointed out we must pay attention when they show up!
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I’ve developed a new appreciation for Psalm 23 in my 60s. It’s absolutely basic to our sheep-nature, and I need its wisdom.
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Amen
Susan Chamberlain Shipe | s http://www.hopehearthome.com usanchamberlainshipe.substack.com amazon.com/author/susanshipe
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What we think of as normal would be considered luxuries in past history–and in some countries today. We’re so abundantly blessed. May we not take it for granted and always be thankful.
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We are certainly a blessed generation. So many conveniences and SO MUCH reason to be grateful!
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Oh I love this! You’ve captured the abundance and blessing we experience every day, along with a reminder that we still owe it all to our Heavenly Father and we still need to rely on him and be obedient every moment.
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Great point! That provision comes with an obligation to thank and obey a loving Shepherd who has our best interest at heart at all times.
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This makes me think of my time in Ireland. The sheep grazed openly in the fields and then they moved them to different fields when the seasons changed.
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That’s exactly what happens here. After the field across the road is cut for hay, the farmers move their herd across the road and turn them loose in the green pasture!
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Amen! Beautiful personalization of the 23rd psalm – your list is spot on for me – including the advantages of literacy. I would also say the ability to follow God’s plan for our lives!
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So true! We are surrounded by infrastructure that enables us to be creative and productive in ways that would have been unthinkable to our grandmothers!
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I enjoyed how you personalized this familiar and dear psalm. “Every day you remind me that you didn’t come merely to save but also to satisfy.”
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Isn’t it amazing? Especially when you consider that salvation would have been enough!
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This is a such a wonderful reminder to remember the good God does all the time. I especially liked your mention of literacy. I try to thank God for so many things, but sometimes I’m just spoiled, I guess. Things like reading, being able to take a shower with hot water, and taking a drink of clean water in my kitchen any time I want seem so simple, but they are blessings. Thank you for this reminder today.
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I am especially grateful for the ability (and the opportunity!) to read—and also to write! It’s a great gift that we take for granted, but even a generation or two ago, it was not a given for every woman in our country.
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Amen! Our Shepherd knows what we need far better than we do, and what a comfort to remember that He lovingly provides it all.
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There’s so much comfort in this knowledge!
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One of my favorite Psalms, and I appreciated your encouragement to see myself as a sheep in a pasture of many blessings!
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When we pay attention to our Shepherd, we’ll find contentment in his green pastures!
It’s always so good to hear from you, Kathy.
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