If you’ve ever traveled on a major interstate highway, you know that every so often there’s a rest stop – an oasis. There you’ll find a restaurant, a rest-room and gas for your tired car. How nice it is to stop, rest, and get something to drink.
David the shepherd was thinking back to those days that he led his sheep to a good, clear water supply when he wrote in the 23rd Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd…he leads me beside the still waters.” After traveling many miles along the dry Judean wilderness, it must have seemed good to finally come to a watering hole or a quiet stream.
Actually the word for “still waters” doesn’t really mean still, as in “not moving.” The original Hebrew text says it this way: “…to waters of rest he leads me.” You see, the Hebrew word actually has the idea of a place of repose or peaceful location. It refers to a comfortable abode or a quiet, restful place. So the Psalmist is saying, “He leads me to waters in the midst of a resting place.”
Now this is what the Lord does for those that wait upon Him. There is a resting place where our soul is refreshed by His presence. As a shepherd delights to see his sheep resting and satisfied, so the Lord loves to see us contented, quiet, at rest, and relaxed. He delights to know that our soul has been refreshed and satisfied. Living in a fast-paced world with all of its demands, hassles, and frustrations can take its toll on our souls. But when we take time out to rest in the Lord and drink of His sufficiency, we are refreshed.
“He leads me beside the still waters.”
Say – have you discovered the joy of a quiet time with the Lord? It can settle your spirit and refresh your soul.