"He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." Psalm 23:2
We're in the middle-isa of a series in which I am walking us through Psalm 23 from the view of God's covenant names. If you missed our first post, you can read about it here. In addition to starting the series, I share there about what it means to make a covenant. I would be remiss if I didn't share what it means to be in a covenant, however. In a covenant agreement typically it is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or perhaps not do something that is specified in the agreement. In the case of marriage, let's say, the couple covenants to honor, love and be faithful to one another until death separates them. On a different vein, a covenant can also be a business deal- one promises to pay a certain amount by a certain or the other party has the legal and binding right to take a specific agreed upon action to get their money back.
With the Lord, and within the gospel, a covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between God and a person or a group of people- those who believe on His Son, Jesus, in the case of the new covenant. When God made the covenant, He set the terms, He made the promises and we simply agreed with Him. If we are in covenant with Him, we get the blessings He has promised us. If He doesn't give those blessings then He breaks His covenant promise with us, which God could never do. If we are not seeing the promises in our lives, the problem lies with us, not God on account of He made a promise to us that if we obey Him and His word, we will experience those promises.
In our walks with the LORD it is important to understand what is covenant and what it means to be in covenant because really, most do not experience the blessings and goodies in Jesus because they do not realize who they are what they have in Jesus. It is not realized simply because most cannot get out of their own emotions (the soul) to see and receive them.
Psalm 23:2 describe yet another one of God's covenant names, YHWH Shalom, the LORD is Peace.
Peace is one of the goodies promised in Jesus as our right and privilege of being in covenant with God. He made us a promise that if we follow His ways we would be led to green pastures and quiet still waters. When storms spring up in life, can I tell you, it is not our God. Goodness, we are called sheep in the Word of God and have you ever seen a sheep stay anywhere near a place that is as tumultuous as rushing and stormy water? The LORD our Peace offers a resting place for us to experience His luxurious love. A good shepherd knows where ti pasture his flock, a perfect Shepherd knows even better. The green pastures spoken of here in the Psalm would be a stunning resting place, free from all fear. The Hebrew word for quiet waters is ×žÖ°× ×•Ö¼×—Ö¸×” (menuha), or literally, the waters of a resting place.
This idea of the waters of a resting place reminds me of the woods in Massachusetts in the Winter. Many hiking areas on the East Coast also have lakes and little rushing rivers flowing in and around them. During the Winter however they are either dried up or completely frozen over. The stillness of the waters underneath the ice is incredible. A once rushing river of waters has been forced to quiet down for a season.
Our God is Peace. When we follow Him and His ways we are led to a beautiful place of peace.
I think what happens is we try to muster peace in our souls and call it God. When life hits the fan so to speak, we chant verses that may bring comfort but its all soul-ish. When we are truly led by our spirit and the Spirit of the living God we don't have to "try" to have and feel peace.
We are peaceful because we have His peace. Peaceful means full of peace, to state the obvious. Peace is also a fruit of the Spirit per Galatians 5:22 and it is a powerful weapon in the face of our ruthless enemy.
How do we get to know this part of our covenant God? One way is to pray to Him as our YHWH Shalom, LORD our Peace. If you lack peace, ask Him to fill those places in you that have been wounded and where peace has been ripped from your body and soul. Ask Holy Spirit to come in and pour that healing oil into these areas so that you begin to experience the Shalom our God gave us already.
Lastly, know that Shalom HE is and gives, it is used synonymously with happy, friendly, welfare, health, prosperity, favor, prosper, and safe. So not only do we receive and experience peace but also God means for us to be happy, prosperous, healthy, safe and have favor wherever we go.
Now that, my friend, is a God worth following.