The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters.     Psalm 23:1 NKJV

Many of us are familiar with the 23rd Psalm. In this Psalm, David speaks of God as the great shepherd. The shepherd protects his sheep, and he provides for his sheep.

In verse one, David identified God as his shepherd. He identifies God as the one he trusts to lead him and guide him. God leads him in green pastures. God provides food and drink for him. One of my favorite lines is “He leads me beside still waters.”

For several years I lived on the water. It was a canal off a river. After a stressful day there was nothing like getting in the boat and getting out on the water. If that wasn’t possible, I had my sofa positioned to look out my sliding glass door. From there I could watch the water which was only about six yards from my patio. Water has always brought me a feeling of peace.

When David says here that God leads him beside still waters, he is referring to a place where rest can be found. He is also referring to a place where refreshment can be found. It would be dangerous to try to have the sheep drink from waters that were flowing with a current. But these still waters like ponds or inlets would allow the sheep to rest and be refreshed.

My prayer for you today is that you are trusting in God and being led beside the still waters. Remember, though, if the waters are rough, God can calm them. In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus was asleep on a boat with his disciples when a great storm came upon the sea. His disciples panicked and woke Jesus saying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are dying?” Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace be still!”

Jesus will also hold you up on the sea. In Mark 8, Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of him to the other side. He departed the crowd and went to the mountain to pray. In the evening, his disciples were in the middle of the sea, and he saw them straining to row the boat against the wind. He was on the land. He went to them walking on the sea. Peter wanted to come to him on the water. Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he failed to focus on Jesus and instead saw the wind and the waves, he became frightened and began to sink.

Jesus is with us through the calm and through the storm. He will lead us beside the still waters. When the waters are not so still, He will take care of us through the wind and the waves. In Mark chapter 4 when it says that Jesus rebuked the wind and told the waves, “Peace be still!” The disciples said, “Even the wind and the waves obey Him.”

The 23rd Psalm is a psalm of trust. David trusts in God to provide all he will ever need. He trusts in God to take good care of him. He trusts in God to protect him from his enemies. And we should too. We should trust God to guide us. We should trust in his provision and his timing.

Allow Him to lead you on the right paths. Trust Him to lead you beside the still waters. And know that if the water gets rough, He can calm it, or He will save you from sinking in it.

Have a great day!