He Leads Me Beside Quiet Waters Continued

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Green Pastures & Still Waters are like…

If the green pastures represent provision (met needs), peace (content minds), and nourishment (well-fed souls), what do the still waters represent?  It’s an extension of how green pastures and still waters go together to form one picture.  The Good Shepherd knows what we need, He provides in a way that gives us peace and contentment, and He takes care of all required to satisfy our hunger and thirst.

In terms of biblical imagery, there is a progression of thought.  While “green pastures” are a perfect picture of God’s Word, “water” is often a symbol of God’s spirit.

Bible Study and the Holy Spirit go together just like green pastures and still waters.  As we feed on the Bible, we need the hydration of the Spirit to break it down in our hearts and assimilate it to every part of our being.  It’s the Spirit that soaks God’s truth into our souls.

William Evans connected both parts of Psalm 23:2 when he said, “There can be no spiritual strength sufficient to walk in the paths of righteousness unless time is taken to lie down in the green pastures of the divine Word by the still waters of prayer.”

Thirsty?

At the great feast in Jerusalem, Jesus said, “‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive” (John 7:37-38).

“To drink” in spiritual terminology simply means “to take in”—or “to accept”—or “to believe.”  That is to say that a person accepts and assimilates to the very life of God in Christ to the point where it becomes part of him.

Consider the life of sheep.  Heavy dew is on the grass each morning.  Sheep, by habit, rise just before dawn and start to feed.  In the Christian life, it is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident, and able to cope with life’s complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God’s Word.

The Burden of Worry

Consider the advice Jesus gave above.  Worry divides the mind.  The biblical word for worry (merimnao) is a compound of two Greek words, merizo (“to divide”) and nous (“the mind”). 

Anxiety splits our energy between today’s priorities and tomorrow’s problems.  Part of our mind is on the now; the rest is on the not yet.  The result is half-minded living.

Our frets are futile.  Jesus said, “You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it” (Matthew 6:27).  Worry has never brightened a day, solved a problem, or cured a disease.

Now, consider the words of the Psalmist, who declares, “He leads me beside the still waters.”  “He leads me.”  God isn’t behind me, yelling, “Go!” He is ahead of me, bidding, “Come!”  He is in front, clearing the path, cutting the brush, showing the way.  He tells us what we need to know when we need to know it.

The key is this:  Meet today’s problems with today’s strength.  Don’t start tackling tomorrow’s problems until tomorrow.  You do not have tomorrow’s strength yet.  You simply have enough for today.

God isn’t going to let you see the future.  So, you might as well quit looking for it.  He promises a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball into our future.  We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow.  We only need to know he leads us beside the still waters and “we will find grace to help us in our time of need.”

May you find the still waters for nourishment, as you shoot for the stars!