Psalm 23 is about the valley times in life… very few people like valley times – most only enjoy the mountain top times. A valley represents a low place filled with shadows… a place of confinement… a place where a person cannot see very far. Mountaintops are places where you can see for miles around you, places where breezes blow and places of great victory.
On the positive side, valleys are places of dense vegetation… in other words everything grows in the valley, it is in the valley that you will find the river, the fresh flowing water – whereas on the mountaintop it is usually baron and dry.
The promise for us is that in this valley time, we shall not lack any good thing… our faithful God shall supernaturally bring miracle provision to those who will receive it! (I say, “to those who receive it” because everything from the Lord must be received by grace through faith… the Lord has supplied, but we must lay hold of His bountiful supply by grace through faith!) The way that we receive is through our faith filled profession and then following up our profession and confession with faith actions. In other words, you declare by faith, “I believe that I receive the provision to pay my mortgage right now, in Jesus Name”… then you step out and do whatever the Spirit leads you to do – ‘with the MOUTH confession is made unto provision, protection, healing and blessing’… then as you step out onto the water, the miracle manifests!
The Hebrew word ‘for shall not want’ is ‘Châçêr’, literally meaning ‘shall not diminish’ – in other words, people of faith will not diminish, or decrease in valley times, they shall increase more and more supernaturally!
He makes His people of faith to LIE DOWN in green pastures; He leads us beside the still (restful) waters. The Lord does not want you striving for provision… He wants you to relax – the Hebrew word for ‘lie down’ can also be translated ‘recline’… the Lord wants you to put your feet up and recline back by the banks of His river of rest – get one of those zero gravity recliner chairs and put your feet up by the still waters of His river of rest and enjoy His supernatural supply. Resting has nothing to do with activity and everything to do with your state of being, so what the Lord wants, is for us to enter into His rest and to place total reliance upon Him.
Let this be your confession…”The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. I shall not have any need. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still restful waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You oh Lord are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
Blessings on you, Nick
