The Lord claims that His yoke is easy and His burden light. But how many times do we find ourselves in a uproar? It often is true (although not always) that the uproar is of our own making. God is dealing with us through circumstances and we are resisting strenuously because of our unbelief, fear, personal ambition, or for some other reason.

Brother Dowell used to say: "If you can't get God to go your way, why don't you try going God's way?"

God makes us lie down in green pastures.

My wife Audrey and I just returned from the "green and pleasant land" of England. As we rode along on one of the many splendid trains we had opportunity to relax and watch the English countryside. Can the like be found anywhere else in the world? The green pastures were so even, so perfectly formed, that they appeared to be manufactured by some great mill. There the sheep were safely grazing.

If there is any place more blessed than a quiet meadow I do not know what it is. Yet it is in this environment the Lord makes us lie down.

The waters of Shiloah run quietly and softly. How often do we find ourselves at our wits end? But it may be true that the confusion is of our own making. We are not seeking to enter the will of Christ but are striving to force the Lord to perform our will.

We Christians do go through crises and some of them are severe. But most of the time there are green pastures and quiet waters if we will just settle down and rest in God's Person and will.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4—NIV)

This world is the valley of the shadow of death. It is becoming the shadow of Hell as well. We can look about us and see this is true.

We still are to fear no evil.

Anxiety and depression are widespread in the United States of America. It may not always be the case, but in many instances anxiety proceeds from fear. The fear is that something will be removed from us, such as a relationship, our money, our health, or even life itself. Sometimes the worry is worse than the event itself.

Every Christian is to present his body to God a living sacrifice. We are to deny ourselves, hate our own life, take up our cross, and follow the Lord Jesus. Until we do these things we are not a true Christian at all and we will not go through the transformation from Adam to Christ that is the new covenant.

The reason people do not grow in Christ, do not change, do not become new creations, is they have never counted themselves dead with Christ and risen with Him. They do not understand that continual death and resurrection are the mainspring of the new covenant.

Because we have never reckoned ourselves dead, as Paul commanded, we clutch our relationships, our money, our health, our life. These actually are idols in that we love these more than we do God.

To be continued.