Even when we’re living right and doing all the right things, life can still be draining. We don’t have to be doing anything wrong – just the whole experience of being alive on this planet can wear us down. The combination of the world, the flesh, and the devil can suck the spiritual vitality right out of us. Does any of the following sound relatable? You try to pray, but no words come. You know you ought to read your Bible, but when you try, the letters on the page all run together and none of it makes any sense, and you lose concentration easily. And you just don’t want to listen to spiritual people, especially when you suspect they might be faking their positive viewpoints in order to sound more ‘holy’. You’re just going through the spiritual motions, nodding and saying amen; but in your soul, you’re running on empty. If any of that sounds familiar, it’s time to turn to God who can give us rest. David, who had been a shepherd, said that God ‘makes’ us lie down. That’s because just like sheep, we’d keep on wandering all over the place and wearing ourselves out. Note two things David says: 1) ‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures.’ The word ‘green’ means ‘fresh’. Each day we need a fresh encounter with God through prayer and a fresh intake of His Word. Our spiritual life can actually go stale if we don’t make the effort to keep it fresh. 2) ‘He leads me beside the still waters’ (v.2 NKJV). The word ‘still’ means we need times of quietness and reflection. ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 KJV). The only way to know God intimately, sense His leading, and draw on His strength is to ‘be still’.
