Still Waters
True fulfillment.
I was going through the hiring process as a police officer eighteen years ago. Part of the process required a battery of psychological tests as well as an in-person evaluation.
The Doctor asked me a serious of strange questions to include something along the lines of “Would you rather be near a babbling brook or still pond?”
Psalm 23:1-3 ESV says:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul…”
What is meant by “Still waters?” The original word in the Hebrew used in this verse is “menuchah” which means “comfortable, ease, quiet, place of rest.”(Strongs 4496).
God doesn’t want chaos to rule our lives. In contrast, one might picture a stormy sea.
But if I honestly were to be asked the question now, I would probably chose a “babbling brook”.
Why? In my mind when I think of still water, I think stagnant. Stagnant water is usually not refreshed by a spring or another source. The water is conducive to bacteria growth and I just get the picture of a lifeless swamp in my mind.
However, this is obviously that is not what Psalm 23 is intending for us to picture. Instead as the Hebrew wording suggests, it is a place of rest.
We all live such chaotic lives, we could use a little stillness in our lives, but perhaps not too much…
“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” proverbs 13:14 ESV
Still waters in the psalm represent a place of rest in the presence of God.
Psalm 37:7 NLT says “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.”
I was stirring in bed the other night, my mind racing about what is to come of my job. It was in that moment I thought of how God commands us to stillness.
“Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10 ESV
“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 ESV
Stillness isn’t just about relaxation, it is a call to obedience and faith. Just as a parent might tell a fidgeting child to “sit still”, God is doing the same to us.
To reiterate Psalm 37:7 NLT says “Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act.”
It’s a reminder that stillness is also about patience. If we believe God is going to do something for us, then we need to trust Him to do it.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:32 that worry is what dominates the thoughts of unbelievers and that we should instead seek God above all of our problems.
Lamentations 3:24-25 ESV Says:
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him.”
There is a common theme in the scripture that I forget sometimes. It is that God is enough. He is our fill and Psalm 23 says “I shall not want.”
The translation of “want” seems to have a dual meaning here. According to Strongs Concordance the Hebrew word that is used can mean either “lack” or “want.” To lack is to be without something but “to want” is to desire or long for.
Either way, as someone who struggles with contentment, this scripture speaks to me in both ways. That is “I will not lack and I shall not want.”
And really the only thing we should desire is God.
I will leave you with this:
With impatience, we might want something; but in stillness and obedience can we fulfill what we lack.
And Yes…you might have to read that again.