The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters.
Psalm 23, 1f
There are people who work too much and are burnt out with stress. And there are people who live at the expense of others. Jesus wants us to find a balance. Constant stress or only quiet, He doesn‘t want that, it is not healthy for us.
Jesus himself was a carpenter and worked in this trade, until He was called out by God. Paul was a tentmaker and did not burden the church, but supported himself though his livelihood. He does not mean to say, that if you don‘t to work you should not eat. However, it was important to Him that in a family people care for each other and not leave it to other people.
God wants us to work! And if He wants it, he will give us work if we ask for it from our whole heart; many have constant excuses why they cannot work. God does never speak of retirement, but wants us to be moving until we are really old. He has given us Sunday in order that we can rest. It is not good to make a Sunday a stressful day and leave all activities to that day and then to rest on Monday at work. It is not good, if the self-employed think themselves so important that they must also carry on with their work on a Sunday. No, Sunday belongs to God and we should plan with Him, how we spend our Sundays.
Our good shepherd wants to provide time in our normal days for a rest. We are not a machine that can run for 24 hours a day. He has given us the calm in the mornings so we can be recharged for the day. He gives us the midday that we can rest and look to Him and He leaves the evenings, because HE wants to talk with us. He prepares the quiet place by the water, only some walk past.
Please, my heart, come to calm! Practice to be quite! Let Him pamper you, the good shepherd! He wants to help us in our work, so that it goes quicker and without problems. Check what your rest looks like; – sometimes is it more stressful then the time at work.
In the quiet God wants to strengthen and realign you towards the aim. He needs people full of strength that can go His way. He has arranged, that we needs breaks, rest and calmness, because we really need Him. When at the time you have much stress and conflict, His promises apply: He wants to lead you by still waters.
Thank you, Jesus that you are my good shepherd! You provide the work and the calm. Also in the stress you find rest for me, where I can turn back to you. Yes, you think about the quiet places in my walk through life. Help me to exercise calm and let myself be filled from you. Help me to have more trust in you and not to care for everything myself. You are a great God.
Todays bible verses : 1 John 5, 1-21