He Leads
Me Beside Still Waters
Psalm
23:2 “He leads me beside Still Waters.”
There are some days when I absolutely cannot move. Thankfully
those days are rarer now that I am getting stronger in every aspect.
But the days when I cannot do much of anything and sitting often is a
necessity, those are the days I draw from The Well. Sitting outside
or near an open window is very peaceful for me. Songbirds in
neighbors' trees; squirrels playing on the utility pole and along our
fences; traffic rumbling by somewhere close; these are the sounds of
my days. But The Song in my heart never ceases to breathe life into
me, stirring my soul with the call of 'draw close to Me and I will
draw close to you.'
His hands are gentle but firm; strong yet flexible. He picks
me up when I stumble and nearly fall. (Literally, too. I weave, I
wobble, but I never fall, for I believe He is near to hold me up and
lift me up).
My
Shepherd's voice is pleasant when I am near, firmer when I wander a
little bit away and used to be faint when I was not so near, not so
close. I do not miss those days. With His gentleness and kindness He
has brought me near to Him and I do not wander any more.
No longer do I long for greener pastures on the other side of
the fence, outside the safety of My Shepherd's pasture. The only
reason the grass is greener on the other side is because it isn't
really grass at all: it's fake grass, turf. Sheep cannot exist on
fake grass; tasting it is nauseating; eating it is toxic, deadly.
Both the body and the soul require real sustenance to be healthy and
strong. One needs food and water, the other needs The Word of God
spoken into it.
Are
still waters still? Yes. According to the Free Dictionary, still
waters are defined as flat or level sections of water which have no
flow or discernible motion. Yet, the water could either be shallow or
deep; which is why the sheep would need a wise Shepherd to lead them
while near it. Some still waters flow gently over large rocks, on
mountainsides or through mountains. A Shepherd is necessary when it
comes to being near still waters.
Notice the word “waters” is plural. Sheep must be watered
more than once in their lifetime. Just like we do. Our Shepherd leads
us beside Still Waters. We are drawn gently to His side, as the
classic hymn says, “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling O
sinner, come home.” In our daily lives there is so much noise and
distractions calling us away from our Shepherd. The thief in the
pasture removes one sheep after another by tempting it with greener
grasses. Entertainments entice us and keep us amused for hours on
end. Time passes. Life happens. And now many sheep have gone astray.
But The Shepherd's voice still calls them to Himself. He never
gives up on bringing His sheep home again, nor does He stop searching
for them, wherever they may be. Wandering sheep browse the grasses,
sometimes unaware that they have gone so far away. Until danger makes
itself known and then the sheep bleat, letting The Shepherd know they
are in immediate danger. And The Shepherd hastens to the crying voice
of the lost sheep, seeking the cry of the heart that is terrified,
weak, scared, alone, afraid, hopeless, lost.
Finding the wanderer, The Shepherd fights for the lost sheep,
defeating the danger and death which surely would have overtaken the
sheep had He not arrived in time. The Shepherd cradles the lost sheep
which is now found in His arms, holding it close to His heart, that
the shaking sheep might calm and be at peace. Setting it down, He
leads it back to the pasture, back to the waters, back home; where
the sheep remains, staying close to/near its Shepherd.
My
Shepherd defeated Satan when I was in his clutches. My Shepherd
defeated death, hell and the grave for me. And He only had to do it
once. There are many wolves in a wolf pack but there is only one
leader of a pack; in the claws of evil that leader is the devil. And
while he finds many ways to attack people and separate them from
God's hands, the only One who can defend them from him is Jesus
Christ, The Good Shepherd. He who died on the cross and rose from the
dead; in life He submitted Himself to The Almighty God, His Father.
In death, He fought the devil and won, overcame death and walked out
of the grave when His Father rolled the stone away.
My Shepherd not only has my back, He has all of me. Every
breath, every heart-beat, every waking moment belongs to Him. I stay
near Him now. He truly, truly leads me beside still waters. And for
this I am thankful. I sure love my Shepherd.
