Sheep are timid animals. The strangest thing about sheep is that because of their very makeup it is almost impossible for them to lie down unless they are free of fear, unrest, and hunger. As anxious creatures, sheep do not naturally want to lie down. Yet the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 is skilled at causing his sheep to experience peace, rest, and fulfillment. We know as Jesus followers that he is our Good Shepherd and we are “God’s flock”, yet so many us today suffer from anxiety, worry, and fear. We live in an anxious age. We are hurried and rushed. We don’t know how to rest. Jesus invites us to “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” To take Jesus’ “yoke” is to pattern our lives after his life. It is to be people who sabbath. It is to be people who pray, fast, trust, worship, and love deeply. The Jesus way is the narrow path away from unrest and towards rest for our souls. What would it mean for us to follow our Good Shepherd towards restoration and repair? What would it mean for us to lie down in green pastures?
Home Church Questions:
1. Have you had people in your life try to make you lie down? Have you had experiences of people settling you down? Describe each experience and how you remember and reflect on those experiences.
2. Describe an experience of “settling” with the Shepherd in the middle of a stressful and difficult life event.
3. Think about the terms: “fragile, not fragile and antifragile” What are you thoughts about humans, being created in the image of God, as “anti-fragile”-needing stress in order to grow and flourish. In what ways hast this been proven true in your life? Do you disagree with the idea?
4. How do you hear the shepherd’s voice? What song or cue do you use, what space or time do you carve out to listen to the Shepherd?