He makes me lie down in green pastures,Ah, such a restful picture!
he leads me beside quiet waters...
I realized this morning that the first verb is "makes". Not "allows". It doesn't say "He provides green pastures for me to lie down in". The mental picture I had after that realization was a young horse, galloping through forests and meadows, being roped and pulled down, in preparation for breaking (*).
But then I realized that wasn't an accurate picture at all. A horse can easily out-run, out-pull, or out-kick a person (**). A more accurate picture is that of a hyperactive puppy or neurotic terrier, worked into a frenzy by imagined threats or excitement, scurrying around barking jumping and being a general ball of noisy underfoot nuisance, finally being gently (but firmly) grabbed by the scruff of the neck, held down, and soothed until it finally settles down.
We humans get worked up over nothing. We imagine that our circumstances really are crisis: the baby is crying again, the bills are due, my project won't be done in time, the house is a mess and guests are arriving soon, I'm sick, the economy is bad, I'm unemployed, I don't like my job, I'm not happy enough. When I get worked up, it's completely legitimate from my perspective. But from God's perspective (and honestly, sometimes even from the perspective of any other human being), it's overreacting to something imagined or vastly exaggerated. And so He makes me lie down in green pastures. "Settle down," He says, putting me in a headlock, "I have this under control. You're working yourself up, and that's not doing any good. I'll give you rest and refreshment. As for you, settle down. I'll let you loose when you're calm."
* I've ridden some, and read Black Beauty, but really don't know much about horsey things. The real scene would probably be different, and that's fine. Leave a horse-training comment if you like.
** It's a good thing we have brains and language! "You're rum little creatures, you humans." - Bree
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