Still Waters

Psalm 23:2b,  "He leads me beside still waters."

      There's just something so special about water.  Nothing is more refreshing on a sweltering hot day than a cold drink of ice water.  And when I think about pools, ponds, lakes, and rivers, the words peaceful, calm, tranquil, serene, and restful come to mind.

      When we are thirsty we become restless until that thirst is satisfied.  My two dogs will drink from mud puddles if they don't see any fresh water.  Sheep will drink from filthy water if clean water is not available, and likewise men and women will drink from the polluted streams of worldly kinds of pleasures if they do not find the living water which God provides.  In Jeremiah 2:13 God says,  "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

      Jesus gave this wonderful invitation for us all in John 7:37b, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."  It is those people who come everyday to drink from the water provided by the Good Shepherd who find peace, serenity, tranquility, and the strength to navigate through the problems and complexities of life.  It is in God's Presence and in God's Word that we find the water that truly satisfies our thirst.

Dear Shepherd, Thank You that You lead us beside the still waters where we can be refreshed and strengthened for the day and find peace and tranquility amid the problems and burdens of life.  May we come to You each day for the living water that we so desperately need.  Amen.