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