“He lets me lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside still waters.” –Psalm 23:2
As a child I had learned the song, “I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,” and one of the verses included the line, “I have the peace that passes understanding down in my heart.” It was a fun line to sing when I was little, but I really had no concept of what it meant till much later. There’s a peace that surpasses our human capacity to describe; I have since experienced this many times over the years. It is analogous to the tranquility of lying in a lush green meadow beside a quiet lake, as this week’s verse describes. Referring back to my shepherding days again, I picture the sheep lying contentedly in the field complacently chewing whatever it was they’d chew for days, and their heavy eyelids falling drowsily as they relaxed in utter peace.
God made us different from the animals, however. I can imitate sheep and lie peacefully in a field, but in reality, I may be subtly stressed out in my mind, pondering the events of the day or worrying about the possibilities of the next. Giving these thoughts over to God is a life-long learning process. I have mentioned before that I have handed problems over to Him on many occasions only to immediately take them back into my own hands. It usually depends on what I consider to be the severity of the issue; surely, something that is my responsibility requires my attention to worry, or at least, that’s what my mind tries to convince me. God doesn’t need to be bothered with my every dilemma; He holds the entire world, the universe, in His hands, so why should I expect Him to pay attention to my often petty and irrelevant concerns? Because He loves us so very much–how do I know? Well, to quote another childhood song, “The Bible tells me so.”
The first passage that comes to mind is Luke 12:6-7, which reads in the NLT, ““What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” This idea of God’s omniscience, His complete sovereignty over everything, including individual birds, reveals a credence that is extremely difficult to grasp for us as human beings. Children seem to have an easier time accepting this attribute of God. If the Bible says, He knows how many hairs grow out of our heads, then who are we to question Him? Of course, the older we get, the more challenging it is for us to trust God with whatever we may be wrestling with.
In 1 John 3:20, John wrote, “Even if our own hearts condemn us (with guilt), God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.” Allowing Him to dictate truth in the midst of our hardships when we are trying to control the situation in our own strength can be very difficult indeed; nevertheless, trusting Him and His Word over our feelings is what we are called to do. Again, it usually isn’t easy, but it is the way to this peace that passes understanding.
The entire passage of Psalm 23 is a beautiful picture of God as our Good Shepherd. From protecting us in “the valley of the shadow of death” to providing comfort with His “rod and staff,” the imagery produces a sense of peace and safety like nothing we can otherwise understand. Verse 3 begins with, “He restores my soul.” This verse reminds me again of Revelation 21:5 that says, “Behold, I make all things new.” When I can abide in the knowledge of the sovereign Creator Who loves, guides, and protects me, that is where I find the peace that I can’t put into words. Dear child, I pray that you will experience it early on as well.