Jesus speaks of His relationship to us as our Good Shepherd. He calls each of us by name, He goes before us, He cares for our needs, He leads us out to green pastures, and He makes provision for us to lie down when we need rest. He gives us the privilege and power to appropriate His promises.
When we rest in the promises of God, we are like sheep that lie down in green pastures, finding refreshment and peace. He enables us to feed upon the blessings of His words and care. He may lead us through a desert to get to green pastures, and sometimes the road may be hard and steep, but the end result is fresh hope, fresh courage, fresh strength--green pastures and peace.
Green pastures provide nourishment, refreshment and rest. Sheep need a place to rest and relax, as well as to forage for food. They also need a shepherd who can find the green pastures for them, and they know and follow their shepherd.
"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. . . . He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10: 2-5, NIV.
The shepherd knows where the best pastures are located. He may need to go through arid places to get to green pastures, but the end result is refreshment and rest and peace. . . . Sometimes the way is steep and hard, but the sheep always follow the shepherd, knowing there are green pastures ahead.
