The Pasture of God

“He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture” (Psalm 95:7).

“We are his people and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3).

God has a pasture, and he wants us to dwell inside his pasture. A pasture is a place of feeding, rest, and habitation. God’s pasture is a spiritual place full of spiritual blessings.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:2). 

God’s pasture is green. It is full of fresh food and good nutrition. The grass of God’s pasture is not old and stale, but it is fresh. God has planted his pasture with the best seed, his word. When we believe God’s word, we feed ourselves in the pasture of God. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out from God (Matthew 4:4).

There is rest in the pasture of God. Outside God’s pasture there is worry and anxiety, stress and strain; but in the pasture of God we can lie down and find rest. We rest in Christ as we stop our frenzy of activity to do what God wants us to do. When we come under the yoke of Christ we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29).

“He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2b-3a).

There is still water in the pasture of God. This still water is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is living water that quenches our thirst. This water is still, not turbulent and raging. The waters of the world are raging waves full of foam and spray that cause shipwrecks and drownings. The Holy Spirit is still, and he flows from God’s throne to satisfy his people. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, leader, and guide, and he speaks to us with a still small voice.

The good shepherd is in the pasture of God (John 10:11). The good shepherd is our Lord Jesus who bought us with his own blood. He will protect us from the wolf, from famine, from thistles, and from poison. He will lead us and guide us. 

There are also other shepherds who Jesus has called and anointed to work with him in leading the sheep (Ephesians 4:11). These shepherds will be in God’s pasture. They will point to the true shepherd and feed people with the pure word of God, not with the doctrines or traditions of men.

A sheep will find God’s flock in his pasture (1 Peter 5:2-3). God’s sheep stick together because they need each other. When a sheep is alone, he gets stressed and becomes anxious. God’s sheep need fellowship in the church of God in order to fulfill their purpose and stay safe.

God’s pasture is broad and vast. There is no limitation there, for with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). 

God will call his flock forth to move together into new places (John 10:4). As they follow the Shepherd, new vistas will open up before them. New spiritual places that they have never dreamed of will become attainable. 

God’s pasture is a quiet place. The raging of demons and fallen angels and the pomposity of the flesh are outside God’s pasture. There is peace in God’s pasture, for the owner of the pasture is the Prince of Peace.

The only door to God’s pasture is Jesus Christ (John 10:7-9). There is no other way to get there. We can become born again only by trusting in Christ. After we are born again, we become God’s sheep who are called to live inside God’s pasture. We live there by abiding in Christ, submitting to his word. As we partake of the spiritual nutrition of God’s pasture, we will grow into spiritual maturity.

The pastures of the world are dry wastelands, full of dry and dead husks. These meager stalks do not feed us, but are poisonous and lead to death. There are large thistles in the pastures of the world, and these thorny thistles wound sheep. The water in the world’s pastures are brackish and polluted, full of evil spirits.

When a sheep wanders out from God’s pasture he gets lost. A lost sheep doesn’t know where he is going. He may be caught in the briars patches of sin, or may be lost among the thistles of false teaching or false teachers. He might wander in the desert of the world or the deadness of man’s religion. 

Jesus will seek out the lost sheep and and try to bring him back to his pasture, carrying him on his shoulders (Luke 15:4). For this to happen, the lost sheep must be willing to come.

The pasture of God is a spiritual place of blessing where God calls his people to live. As we dwell there, we will partake of spiritual riches that will cause us to grow to fulfill our purpose. It is here, in God’s pasture, that our lives will be truly blessed.