The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul… Psalm 23:1-3

I remember a friend of mine sharing with us, that when a shepherd makes a sheep “lie down in green pastures,” it means that when a sheep goes off wandering around, the shepherd breaks one of its legs so it lies down and stays still. If you think about it, a sheep won’t understand a shepherd if he just screams “Be still!” or “Stay calm!” He’d have to break its leg, and have it hurt, just so it does what is right. Otherwise, the sheep keeps wandering, and will forever get lost.

A lot of times, we are like wandering sheep. We go off mindlessly doing things on our own, especially when we have to be still and just sit with the Lord. Sometimes, even when we think we are doing things right, and have been faithful to Him, we are surprised with brokenness. He has to break us just so He can lay us down in green pastures–where we want to be. This is how He leads us to quiet waters. This is how He restores our souls–when we are broken, quiet, and still. We gain rest when we are lying down on green pastures. We are refreshed when we are beside quiet waters. We are made new when our souls are refreshed. We are made whole when the Lord breaks us, because He draws us closer to Him and His heart.

Are you in a place like this right now? I pray that as He breaks you, you will find rest, be refreshed, and made new. Be quiet, and still, and let His love mold you, cover you, and comfort you. As I usually say, when you are broken in the Lord, you are brokenly whole. If you think about it, this is the best way to be broken, because it is Him who is the one breaking us, and He will be the one to restore us. Be in faith, and hold on because you are deeply loved! 🙂