God Makes Me Lie Down

"If I am a sheep, green pastures sound pretty good! But the psalmist insists the necessity of being made to lie down."

I have read this verse a thousand times, and "make" has never stood out to me. It's true, shouldn't resting in the presence of God sound glorious? Shouldn't I run to it? Shouldn't after- scratch that, amidst- a crazy week, I want nothing more to be filled with God? But..."to be in the presence of God is to change." Oh, shoot. No God, I don't want to change. I just want to hang out, relax, maybe even take a little nap. I'm too tired to change. But His presence demands change. So maybe God and I just won't hang out this week. Or maybe I think we will. You know, I'll have a Bible and a journal in front of me and read nice stories and write down nice quotes. But I'm not going to pray that God comes into that time and makes this Word speak to me. I'm not going to MEDITATE on this. That's too much. I'm trying to relax, here.

"Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1

I know we're on meditation, not worship. Work with me! We think of being in the presence of God as being filled with this nice feeling. Give me some encouraging scripture, remind me God loves me so much, and hey, throw in an acoustic guitar. That's honestly what I think on some level. That that's some combination that gets me closest to his presence. But as much as I agree meditation for us means being filled up...we have to empty ourselves first. This meditation that God is calling us to requires offering our bodies as living sacrifices. If I'm going to change, if I'm going to engage myself with the will of the Lord...shoot, I better be sacrificing. MY will, MY time, MY whole self.
God gets that that's a sacrifice. It, "leads us to the inner wholeness necessary to give ourselves to God freely." That's so calming and sweet and yet demanding at once. Inner wholeness with God...I want that. But it takes giving ourselves.

So yes, God MAKES me lie down. God makes me give. Why? So I can hear his gentle whisper and have rivers of living water flow from within me. And most importantly...because the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. So else can I respond?