Psalm 23 : 1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The first few verses of this Psalm fill me with a sense of peace as I imagine myself lying in the grass beside a stream, in the sunlight.
Another word for pasture here is also Meadow. My idea of a meadow is a grassy field full of spring flowers. In the above painting I used a palette knife to give the impression of colorful wild flowers against a background of mountains, which for me is another place in which I sense the peace of God and am awe inspired by creation.
On a recent visit to Colorado with my son we happened upon this stream and rested here a while after a long hike. In this shady spot we were refreshed and restored, physically, mentally and spiritually.
In the busyness of our lives it’s important for us all to have time to think and be reinvigorated. In the words of Jesus to his disciples “Let’s go to a place where we can be alone and get some rest” Mark 6: 31 CEV.