Still Waters

“He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:2b-3a)

Noise, jangled nerves, family pressures, and a hectic pace, are all part of the daily life most of us live. Cell phones, Internet, Facebook, and Twitter, add to the chaotic nature of modern life. If you are like me, at times we long for a place beside the “still waters.” We need a quiet place where the Lord can restore our soul.

Thanks to our wonderful Christian friends, Wayne and Pam, we are invited to stay at their beach house on Dauphin Island, Alabama, whenever we can. Three or four times a year, we avail ourselves to their invitation. There are times when the water is so still the bay looks like a mirror. It quietens a stressed heart. A soft, gentle breeze refreshes our weary souls. While there is a need for our bodies to rest and relax physically, there is an even greater need for spiritual calm and rest for the soul.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  The Book of Jeremiah echoes the theme of rest for the soul in chapter 6:16: “Thus says the Lord; Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you shall find rest for your souls.” 

We may not always be able to go a physical place ‘beside the still waters’, but praise the Lord we can all come to Jesus for rest wherever we are. His Spirit is closer than our hands and feet.  Acts 17: 27 assures us that “He is not far from each one of us.” Are you stressed, harried, anxious? Come to Him! He will lead you to the spiritual still waters and restore your soul. He promised!

~ Brother Roy