Psalm 23:1-2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” I don’t know when the last time you lay down in a green pasture was—but it’s pretty nice to do. Notice the verse says, “makes me lie down.” There are some of us that will only rest when we are forced to do it. We are so work and industriously minded that any time not spent “producing” is time wasted.
Modern vernacular even has a term for it: Grindset, a combination of grind and mindset. The idea is that you always need to be pushing towards the goal of getting richer, of having more. But what good is it to gain the whole world if it means you forfeit your soul?
When we trust the good Shepherd, we can see that he has our best interest in mind. The Shepherd knows the path ahead might be arduous. He knows that you need to rest now because you might not have another chance to rest for quite a while. The sheep doesn’t always know what is best, so he/she needs to trust in the Shepherd.
Philip Keller (in A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23) writes that sheep do not lie down easily and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid, they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are social animals, they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If flies or parasites trouble them, they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food, or hungry, they will not lie down. Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.
Some of us refuse to rest because we are afraid. We fear missing out on something. We fear looking like we’re lazy. Or we fear any number of things that are outside of our control. It is in these times that we must trust that The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.