Fresh Green

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,
     Psalm 23:2

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Green Pastures in the Madera County foothills

San Luis Reservoir-Still Waters in California

It has been wonderful for me to experience springtime in California this year.  It has been a long time since I've had the opportunity to go for walks among the lush green hillsides.  At times, it has been a bit dangerous--I told Ingrid that being here at this time of year makes me a bit reluctant to leave.  (It seems easier to leave in the summer when it is hot and everything is brown, or in winter when it is foggy and cold.)

When I walk among the wildflowers and green grass, I think of Psalm 23.  I particularly like the Thai version, where it says "fresh green fields".  David says that God, the shepherd, leads him to the green pastures. The sheep don't have to know where the lush pastures are as long as God does.

I, and I think also many North Americans, have a tendency to want to be in control.  To provide for myself.  To know where my next meal is coming from.  To know what our future looks like.

God, on the other hand, wants us to trust Him to lead us to green pastures, even if we have to pass through things like the valley of the shadow of death to get there.

Lately, I've been reading through Exodus and Numbers.  Here we have perhaps a couple million people hanging out at Mount Sinai for a year.  That is not a lush place.  How do you feed and water all those people? What will their livestock have to eat and drink?  This was not a problem for God.

The exact location of Mount Sinai is disputed, but it's not very lush
https://committeeforculturalpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/lossy-page1-800px-Mount_Sinai-110709_005.tif.jpg

     That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. 
     The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the LORD has given you to eat. 
     Exodus 16:13-15 (NLT)

God has amazing ways of providing for His people.

This week we have been on the road visiting people.  Our travels took us north through California into Oregon.  As we approached the city of Redding, we could see Mount Shasta, poking its white, snowy head into the sky.  The ingenuity of engineers has enabled us humans to store the snow as it melts, and send it all the way to Southern California, several hundreds of miles away.  Some is used for agriculture.  Some is for domestic use.  So when I see the snow, I think of how God is faithfully providing for mankind.

Mount Shasta rises above Redding, California

One of the names of God given in scripture is is Yahweh-Yireh--God Provides.  It is a name given to God by Abraham, after God provided an alternate sacrifice to Isaac (Genesis 22:14)

God provides for us.

How has God provided for you today?