Learning a new language is not restful for most global workers. As we repeatedly attempted to imitate and duplicate the sounds spoken by a gracious national pastor, I could not help but wonder if we had misunderstood God’s plan. In a toddler-like fashion, I struggled to conjugate verbs and put together simple sentences. Anyone who could have peeled back the curtain and peeked into my heart would not have seen REST making itself at home there.

Our fourteen-year-old daughter caught on to the language more quickly than her middle-aged parents. Sitting beside me in church one Sunday morning, she leaned over to ask, “What verse did the pastor share?” My clueless expression let her know that I had not even realized the pastor had referred to a Scripture passage. Her younger brain was separating words and recognizing patterns long before I could discern where one word ended and another began. 

Eventually, months and even years into our time on the field, I noticed that the meaning of a verse often stood out for me when I worked at understanding it in this new tongue. Laboring to dissect and grasp the subtleties and verb tenses made Scripture come alive in new ways. Psalm 23 was one of those passages. As a young girl, I had tucked all 115 words of David’s psalm into my heart. However, the meaning had dulled for me over the years. 

“O Senhor é o meu pastor, nada me faltará.”  

Studying the truth through the lens of another language, I noticed that the verb was future tense. “Faltará”…simple future of the word “lack.” God will not allow me to lack anything I need. I could claim this promise for my present and my future.

“Em verdes pastagens me faz repousar e me conduz a águas tranquilas.” 

Repousar…rest. Águas tranquilas…calm waters.  

None of us naturally or accidentally find our way to rest. We don’t merely stumble upon calm waters. He guides us, inviting us to enter HIS rest. The promise in verse two is directly related to the truth of verse one. Rest is possible because He promises we will have everything we need.