When The Waters Are Still The Cover Story Feature
Psalm 23:2 { NIV } says,“ He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,”. The King James Version calls them“ still waters”. I never understood, nor appreciated, this passage until this last month or so of my life. I have been so busy doing and going, I had forgotten what it sounded and felt like to be still. Even in the stillness, I at first didn’ t like it because it seemed so loud and so foreign. I felt like I was supposed to be doing something and I was doing absolutely nothing. In the beginning of my time beside the still waters, I detested every single moment of solitude. I found myself starting to loathe the silence that I once desired so desperately.
The still small voice that God speaks seemed so far away. I found myself asking,“ God where are you”? What I had forgotten was that He was right there with me. I had forgotten that He had promised never to leave me nor forsake me. I had forgotten that right after He said He would lead me beside the still waters, the next part of the promise was that He would restore my soul.
I had worn every hat known to woman. I say that as if the hats are no longer mine to wear. I had been minister, sister, friend, daughter, mother, advocate, speaker, writer, encourager, motivator, praise and worship leader, and more. What I had forgotten to be was me. I had lost myself somewhere in the shuffle of helping everyone else. God in all of His infinite wisdom knew that this time was coming and He had already prepared my rest for it. He had already stilled the waters. As He recorded in Psalm 56:8, He had collected all of my tears in a bottle, and now it was time for my refreshing.
Let us define the word still. Used as an adjective it means not moving or making a sound. I like the noun form of the word where it says still means deep silence and calm. I was so used to doing and going that I didn’ t even realize that my service had inadvertently entered me into a storm called tired. I was so focused on completing assignments that I didn’ t even know I needed Jesus to come in and tell my storm to“ Peace, Be Still”.
How many times have you been guilty of forgetting about you because you were so worried about everyone else? Who is like the Lord that He will find time for you to be still?
If you find yourself in a moment of still, embrace it. God is refreshing you and giving you a fresh infilling of His Spirit because there is more that He requires of you. We must not become so complacent in who we are that we forget what we are called to be. It is okay to be the go to person that everyone relies on for advice. It is okay to be the one that everyone looks to for strength. But don’ t forget, it is also okay to be still. It is okay to be quiet and even strain to hear God’ s voice. When you feel that He is quiet, know that it is then you can reflect on all that He has already done and already said. God trusted you with His gift and Jesus believed in you enough to die for you. When you find yourself being led by the still waters, don’ t let the enemy come in and taint that time with His lies. Don’ t let him come in and convince you that you are in a season of punishment. Know that when you are being led by the still waters, it is a time for strengthening. When you walk away from this, you will be stronger than before. You will be wiser than before. You will be a force to be reckoned with and it will all be a result of the time that you were just still.
© Christina L. Mial 2015