He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2
One of the joys of my childhood was to fish for trout in the brooks of West New Annan. I would follow those bubbly and shady streams, dipping my baited hook into spots where I hoped to catch a fish. I quickly learned better than to drop the hook into the spots where the water chattered and gurgled over the stones and gravel. No, I looked for the places where the water was quiet, knowing that those places provided the depth and the coolness needed to harbour a lurking trout. Sometimes it was on the downstream side of a large rock, other times it was in the elbow of a bend in the stream. Where the water was still, I could hope to find success. But there was also danger there, the depth of water could also be a threat to limb and life.
I remember one of my school teachers quoting an old saying: Still waters run deep. As the Lord supplies us with deep waters, he is supplying us with our greatest opportunities. As we see Him guide us into places where we see risk and danger, He takes us to those places where we can find our greatest satisfaction. He instructed His disciples to venture out into the deep, and that is where they caught the fish. So too today he urges us to venture forth. If He presents us with an opportunity, we ought to grasp it and rely on Him to guide and direct.
The sheep would be glad to see the still water, because they would know it would be cool and refreshing. Although it presented a danger if they were to fall into it, the water was necessary and they had the shepherd to keep them safe. He would keep them from danger.
Refresh your soul today by seizing those opportunities God brings your way. If He is guiding, He will also preserve. -Jim MacIntosh