“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:1-2
It seems like every family in Minnesota has a lake home they go to during the summer. My family was no different. My parent’s lake place consisted of two non-winterized cabins on the shore of Little Sand Lake in the Iron Range of Northern Minnesota.
I have not been to the “cabin” since I graduated from college, over ten years ago but I have thought of it often through the years and especially when I read the second verse of Psalm 23.
Little Sand Lake is relatively small compared its neighbor, Big Sand Lake but the most unique aspect about the lake was that it is in a steep valley. Our cabins were down on the shore in the valley. Many storms have passed through the area and rarely have the great winds affected the shore and the lake itself.
When I read Psalm 23, I think of my favorite childhood summer home where we always felt safe despite the fact that we were in the midst of the wilderness. Many times, my dad and I would sit on the porch watching the storms approach and enjoy the dazzling lightning shows knowing that we would rarely feel the affect of the storms.
To me, Psalm 23 speaks of comfort, peace and security despite troublesome obstacles and dangers that can distract and adversely affect our lives. It is also about having faith in the one sure thing in life and believing that through all the storms of life, we can stand still and be at peace because of the sure foundation of our faith in Christ.
I have made Little Sand Lake into my sacred space where I know it is always available for me to go and find the presence of God. It is my green pasture where I can be at peace and commune with God.
Do you have a place where you can go to for comfort, peace and time with God? If not, find a space where you can do just that and commit it to the Lord and allow the presence of the Lord to be present. Make that your “green pasture” and make it holy.
Prayer: Dear Lord of peace, grant us comfort and grant us peace so that when we are met on the journey of life with obstacles and danger, we can rest on your presences and foundation to overcome it. Amen.
