“He leads me beside quiet waters”
A Good Shepherd does not lead you into danger. He leads you to where you can find peace and rest. If green pastures represent God’s provision for us the “quiet waters” represent His peace that calms our soul. David is not just talking about giving the sheep a drink of water. He is talking about leading the sheep to where they can experience security and serenity. A rushing river can provide water to drink but not without potential peril. Sheep can become agitated easily. The sight and sound of the moving water raises causes anxiety in sheep. The Good Shepherd is also concerned about the safety of His sheep. If a sheep were to slip into the current it could quickly be swept away. Therefore, He leads you to “quiet” or “still” water.
For us in our metropolitan area it is the difference between walking on the shoulder of a busy highway with the cars zooming by or walking on a trail through a quiet park. It changes how you feel. It changes how you think. Just talking about it begins to relax you. We say things like, “Yes, that’s what I need. Just 5 minutes peace”. We close the door and take a deep breath. We close our eyes and, like Brer Rabbit, we go to our “happy place”.
At the cross Jesus not only proved that He was the Good Shepherd but He won the victory that can bring you peace. To follow Him is to lay down in green pastures even in a dry and weary land. When we follow Him He leads us by quiet waters in the midst of a noisy, and sometimes dangerous, world. He is the Good Shepherd. That’s what He has always done. He was always calming the raging seas. He brought peace wherever it was needed. Isaiah said:
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5)
Today let Jesus lead you to the quiet waters.