1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

4 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.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

How hard it is these days to allow God to lead us to green pastures and have us lie down beside still waters! Yet we need to do just this for several very good reasons. Firstly to refresh ourselves, for haggard and harried we are no use to ourselves, one another, or our Lord. Secondly to learn how to let go and allow God to be the centre of our lives; understanding that we live and move and have our being in him. Thirdly as the beginnings of prayer. For we must “Be still and know that I am God,” in order to quieten our hearts and minds before him.

Striving and excessive doing, especially with a desire for achievement, are the antithesis of a healthy prayer life. Action follows contemplation as surely as night follows day, but we must understand that we are loved and cared for before we can pass that love lastingly or with true efficacy onto others.

This section is a place to come for resources and ideas to help us to be calm and quiet, to start on our recuperation and our journey into prayer.