Luna follows me around all day. From one room to another, no place is off limits. Where I go, she follows. She knows my voice, obeys my commands, and rests (in the most vulnerable positions) when I am near. She wants for nothing. This dog even has matching outfits with me… and we look very cute together!

Today, her behavior reminded me of Psalm 23.

I feel like the shepherd, and Luna is my sheep.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:1-3

This is one of the most well-known psalms and draws on David’s experience herding sheep as a boy. I love the image of the sheep following the shepherd because the sheep know his voice and they know that the shepherd will feed them and take care of them.

This psalm is a beautiful example of how God cares for us in our everyday, ordinary lives. It is also an example of how we can see God in our everyday lives. Just by paying attention to something as mundane as taking care of animals, God invited David into an interactive knowledge of His heart. What David saw in his love for his sheep, he saw in God’s love for us too. And when we know the heart of God as our shepherd, we can find peace in the presence of fear, security in the midst of our enemies, and our burned-out souls can be restored.

But as much as we may highlight the invitation to rest in Psalm 23, being able to say, like David, "I have all that I need" does not come naturally to us. Learning to trust God and be content is hard. The success of others, nonstop advertising, our social media feeds, and the inclinations of our own hearts have shaped us to be naturally jealous and discontent. Even rest, as good as it sounds, can be hard to embrace. When God leads us to green meadows or peaceful streams, like in verse 2, we still have to allow ourselves to rest and let our strength be renewed. If your rhythm of life is oriented around achievement, success at all costs, and consumption, even entertainment, you will need to be intentional about rest and practice it as a spiritual habit that realigns our hearts with God’s desire for us.