Wet Pastures


It seems to me that Bible study and the Holy Spirit go together just like green pastures and still waters. When we were raising sheep I’d sometimes fill up our watering barrel, but the sheep wouldn’t drink from it. During some seasons of the year, I noticed it stayed full and I could go for days without replenishing it, though I’d periodically swap the water out to keep it from becoming brackish.

I finally figured out why the sheep could occasionally go for days without seeming to drink very much. It typically happened when the weather changed and we had heavy dews. During these periods when the grass was sopping wet with natural moisture, the sheep imbibed their needed hydration with their breakfast.

I think it’s a wonderful picture of the Spirit-drenched Scriptures. In the early morning we graze in the sweet pasturage of the Word of God covered with the watery dew of the Holy Spirit. Like thousands of other Christians, I begin almost every morning of my life the same way. Grabbing a cup of coffee, I head to a small upstairs desk to begin the day with prayer and Bible study. Sometimes I do the same at night before retiring. It’s like lying down in green pastures and by still waters. Here we find spiritual provision, mental peace, and inner nourishment.

To quote William Evans: “There can be no spiritual strength sufficient to walk in the paths of righteousness unless time is taken to lie down in the green pastures of the divine Word and by the still waters of prayer.”

Green pastures and still waters have never been so neglected—or so available—as they are to us right now. Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we have His peace in life’s meadows.

–From The Lord is My  Shepherd by Robert J. Morgan