In Green Pastures
Moments of Story, Moments with God
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psalm 23
Every next step was excruciating.
His feet were blistered. Sweat vanished the moment it touched his skin. He hadn’t had a drop of water for hours.
Why all this suffering? Had God not promised to be with him? Wasn’t he on the pilgrim’s road solely to glorify the Shepherd?
The voice of doubt seemed to grow louder with every passing second.
Still, he would not give in.
“Dear God, if ever I needed You, it is now. I want to hold fast to Your Word and the sweet promise of care… but I am about to faint.”
And he trudged on, teetering on the edge of collapse.
I will not doubt, though all my ships come home with broken sails…
He looked up; chest burning, eyes squinting against the sun.
Another sandhill loomed before him, vast and foreboding.
He began the ascent. His feet sank deep into the scorching sand, but he pressed on until he finally reached the top.
He stared in disbelief at the scene before him.
An illusion?
A hallucination, brought on by dehydration on the brink of death?
But it wasn’t, and he knew it.
A crystal stream wound through a field of green, its banks lined with trees that were bending gently over the water. He could hear its soft murmur, like a song only heaven could compose. Forgetting his pain, he ran down the hill, fell to his knees and drank deeply, letting the cool water soothe his parched throat.
Water! Life!
Rest…
Once again, God had proven Himself true. The Lord, his Shepherd, had led him here, and His faithfulness could always be trusted. As always, the Lord gave rest to his weary soul.
Prayer
Lord, Shepherd of my soul, lead me to Your still waters today. When I am weary, lift me. When I doubt, remind me of Your faithfulness. Restore my soul, and let me rest in Your unfailing care. Amen.
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