Permission to Rest: Finding Rest and Restoration in Psalm 23

Have you ever had those times in your life when you’re in between really big things and you can’t seem to find your next step? In times of unrest, is it difficult to give yourself permission to just stop and be renewed like you read about in Psalm 23?

Last updated August 25, 2026. Originally published June 3, 2015.

Transition is difficult on its own. Throw in life, relationships, and the expectations others have of you and it can be overwhelming.

Perhaps you’re in-between the mess right now. If not, you will be and you’ll need to find a place of rest, restoration, and clarity.

And you need to give yourself permission to actually rest.

There are seasons in my own life and ministry I can point back to where we were in a real place of purpose only to suddenly find ourselves in a season where you could watch corn grow.

Seriously. One of those times, we went from fruitful ministry in the farthest reaches of Europe to landing in Iowa, where you can almost literally watch this stuff grow!

Although our full time ministry continues wherever the Lord has led us, and there are always tons of things to do and catch up on, we don’t always receive our next “marching orders” when we feel like we need them.

And the more we dig, prod, and ask God for crystal clear instructions, I mean important stuff like what’s our next location, the more He places Psalm 23, especially verse 1-3 in front of us.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1-3

If you want to know something astonishing, it’s exactly at these crossroads of life where different counsel always seem to affirm the same message: Rest. Wait. Don’t jump into the next chapter.

In Yes or No: How Your Everyday Decisions Will Forever Shape your Life, (affiliate link) author Jeff Shinabarger talks directly about that. Jeff also encourages rest, reflection, and not leaping from work to work.

One of the most helpful points Jeff makes in his book is this:

And that is where I typically find myself asking, “Nice. How in the heck is that done?”

I don’t know about you, but rest and reflection do not come easy for those who are not very good at being still.

During times of transition, whether big life changes or simply the seasons of the year switching, I don’t always know how to stop worrying about decisions and next steps. That’s true for many people… we simply don’t know how to rest properly.

Acknowledging that is what led me to take the closest look I’ve ever taken into a Psalm that we all probably have in our earliest Sunday School memories, and most likely one of the most well known and familiar verses in the Old Testament: the 23rd Psalm.

Knowing that I’m not alone in this, here’s what I discovered in these verses.

My Shepherd, I shall not lack

Immediately, David makes a bold and deeply personal statement:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

The little word my is what’s so deeply personal.

David knew exactly what a shepherd does. A shepherd stays close. He will guide, protect, feed, and care for the sheep he’s entrusted to watch over. So when David, a shepherd himself, calls the LORD his Shepherd, he’s being much more than poetic.\

He’s describing genuine relationship.

The God who shepherds is the God who shepherds me.

Psalm 23 begins with personal trust. David knows who is leading him and can say with full confidence, “I shall not lack anything.”

The first verse of this familiar Psalm is teaching us that because our God is a personal God, and since He is our shepherd, He will guide us.

Remember that when you’re facing decisions or changes in life that are just too difficult and well beyond your control. Your God is personal, He is near, and He cares.

Reclining in an oasis

The familiar English already speaks deeply to us, especially in seasons of unrest or trial. But the Hebrew imagery behind the verse adds even more:

“In oases of vegetation he is making me recline…”

It took me a moment to realize that oases is plural of oasis. I had to read it again.

“Oases of vegetation.”

Then I discovered the word translated here for vegetation can describe the youngest, freshest first-shoots of grass that grow in a pasture. You know the type, the brand new stuff that’s like strands of soft, deep green velvet between your bare toes. Not the dry, summer-toughened pastures in late August.

That paints an even richer picture than the bright green pastures you might normally imagine with Psalm 23.

Reclining. Oases. Tender, velvety grass.

Suddenly we discover that this passage speaks directly into our high-speed world of information overload, constant and conflicting demands, and a “gotta have it now” mentality.

There are times when God not only invites us to rest.

He leads us into it.

He brings us to places where we can stop striving, recline under His care, and where we can find the rest we so easily forget we need.

Restore My Soul

Times of rest and restoration are often found beside those deep, refreshing “still waters.” Or, maybe even better, “waters of resting places.” These are the places where the Shepherd leads us to stop striving, settle in, and drink deeply without reservation.

Did you know that sheep are actually afraid of water if it’s flowing too fast or making too much noise? Ever tried sipping from the rapids of a river? Of course not, imagine the risk!

The waters of verse 2 aren’t the fast flowing currents of a white water rapid, but waters of stillness. Not stagnant, stinking pools, but fresh, inviting, fulfilling water where the sheep safely drink. And that is where David leads us next.

He restores my soul.

Modern English gives us this familiar verse, but David’s words carry an even richer picture.

The idea behind “restores” is one of returning. It’s bringing back what has wandered, weakened, or been depleted. And the word translated “soul” is not just the spiritual part of us. It speaks of our very life, our whole living self.

So David is describing something deeper than feeling rested or refreshed.

The Shepherd brings my life back.

He restores what has been drained. He returns what has wandered. He renews the deepest part of me. The exhausted parts where fear, grief, and the pressures of life wear thin.

That is what happens beside those “waters of resting places.” The Shepherd is not just giving His sheep somewhere pleasant to stop. He leads them to a place where depleted life can be restored.

Rest and be restored

That’s another step you can take when life is disrupted, chaotic, or just changing on you in ways you do not enjoy. Receive your permission to rest from the 23rd Psalm and be restored. Focus on God and He will both guide and restore you.

Next time you find yourself in transition, navigating the mess of life, or are just plain overwhelmed, look more slowly at Psalm 23, and as difficult as it may be, recline, rest, drink and be restored.

It’s ok. You have permission to do this.

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