Quote:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer

Ever wonder why Psalm 23 has been a favorite of God’s people for so many generations? Perhaps because it reminds us of a comforting truth, which, though profound, is often forgotten... That truth: Our Savior is sufficient for our every need!

These verses speak to the care of the Shepherd over us – his passion to provide, nurture, take care of…and for US (his sheep) to experience ‘REST’. Many confuse REST with having ‘lazy’ days – but it’s much deeper than that; a sense of godly rest is refreshing, rejuvenating, and life-giving.

Quote:
In our culture, we are addicted to tasks, work, and doing; we say yes to too many things and if we are not busy we feel guilty of wasting time and productivity." -Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Church
More often then not, we miss many opportunities for the Lord’s restoration of our souls because we are so preoccupied with ourselves and our addictions that we are unable to be fully present with God and rest.

Isn’t it interesting that the psalm begins at this point? We might expect it to begin with motion, with some kind of activity - But strikingly, it begins with rest. It is a reminder that the Christian life also begins with resting in God.
Jesus calls us to rest.

Our Good Shepherd wants his sheep to experience REST. God wants you to live a whole, balanced and complete life. He doesn’t want you overworked, overwhelmed, anxious, consumed by the pressures in life, or stressed out.

A prescription for pressured people: God’s REST as seen throughout the Scriptures…
1) R – recognize my worth comes from God
2) E – enjoy what I have / all God provides
3) S – savor my relationships & my Shepherd
4) T – trade my pressures, for God’s peace

David is using a term every shepherd would understand when he talks about being cast down. It is a position sheep get themselves in and they can't get out of. Sheep are built in such a way, that if they fall over on their side and then on over on their back with their legs sticking straight up in the air, they cannot get out of that position themselves. They are helpless to get back up on their feet again. Vulnerable for attack. The only remedy - the rescue from the Shepherd to get calmed down, put right back up. What a picture of what God wants to do for you! For me! At times when life has knocked us over. HE RESTORES OUR SOUL and leads us forward...

Friends: you have a Good Shepherd - keep in step with Him. Commit to listen for His voice, over all the other voices out there; realign yourself to make sure you’re seeking to stay within His presence, His protection, His provision, versus striking out on your own or following a hired hand... (read John 10)

TO DO:
-ask yourself: how can I maximize & maintain a rhythm of living that keeps me in close proximity to MY Shepherd (Jesus)?
-Memorization Challenge: commit now to memorize Psalm 23 by then end of January. begin this week repeating verse 1 to yourself. What’s repeatable becomes reproducible.

Need Prayer? ....we've got some of our prayer team and pastors available following service to pray with you. Or you can text the word "prayer" to our phone number: #520-300-9001 to submit your prayer request or submit one via our new app. We look forward to partnering with you in prayer.