2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Psalm 23
I used to fly often. After just a few flights the instructions given by the flight attendant as the plane moves out to the runway are ignored. One of the things I am told is that if the cabin lost pressure, I should put on my mask and then put the mask on any children traveling with me. This seemed a bit strange to me at first. Shouldn’t I take care of the kids first, then put on my mask. But there is an important concept here. If we don’t make sure we are hooked up, we will be in no condition to take care of anyone. We need to be rested and connected to be of any good.
The Good Shepherd knows the importance of rested sheep. He makes me lie down for the important rest I need. As Christians we need rest for at least five reasons:
1. Nourishment. We have all heard folks say they were too busy to eat. Both in the natural and in the spiritual, we need to rest to replenish our diminished resources. That’s why He puts us in green pastures. So we can eat.
2. Calming. We need to rest in order to calm down. The hustle and hassle of the day ramps up our stress levels making us frantic and inefficient. Trying to do too much, we do nothing. So he leads us besides the still calming waters away from the rapids.
3. Restoration. With God things are new every morning. They are new because He got a good night’s sleep. In a truly active life we should be refreshed in the morning and tired at night. Isn’t our God great that He made it dark for part of each 24 hour period so we could rest. We have tried to mess that up by inventing lights and TVs but you get the idea. Rest restores our souls.
4. Direction. Sometimes we get so busy we forget what it is we are trying to accomplish. It is important to stop, rest and evaluate where we are and where we are headed. We need a period of quiet refocus. We need to recognize who the leader is and be placed back in the right direction on the path of righteousness.
5. Purpose. When we get too busy we are like hamsters on a wheel, much motion without much advancement. Rest allows us not only to get our directions straight but to get our motivation right. It’s not enough to know where we are headed, we need to know why. There is only one good reason for everything we do. We do it for His name’s sake.
So grab that oxygen mask. Take a deep breath. Get nourishment, calm, restoration, direction and purpose. Then make sure the guy next to you has his mask on properly.
Rest and be blessed.
Nick
Amen!