Still Waters: Sanctuary or Sovereign Protection?

All my life, I read the following verse from Psalm 23:2 “He leadeth me beside the still waters” and imagined myself in a serene, lush sanctuary where the water barely ripples in the gentle breeze, the sun is perfectly warm against my face, all is quiet around me, and God’s presence fills the air with His distinctive sweetness (KJV). In the midst of the chaos of life, this was my quiet place—even if my physical surroundings, as per usual, were anything but quiet. This was my invisible sanctuary and a place where I could settle my heart and mind into peaceful tranquility. Then my amazing pastor delivered a message on this Psalm that upended my preconceptions.

In his message, he shared that yes, the shepherd leads the sheep to the quiet waters because otherwise the sheep become frightened. In other words, if the waters rush along like some of the rivers in the area I live in, the sheep would probably rather die of thirst than confront their fear and receive a life-giving drink. So, the shepherd would seek out little pools of water that also happened to contain clean water.

Now, we all know that still water, when allowed to sit, doesn’t stay clean. Rather, it gets full of algae and becomes a large sun-made brew of bacteria which will hurt, rather than benefit, anything that dares to take a sip. So, the shepherd would have to either know of a place that was constantly refreshed with clean water but also quiet or find little wadi pools after the rain for his sheep.

The problem is, and this is what upended my preconceptions, the shepherd isn’t the only one who knows about these sources of clean water…other animals will search them out since they are also in need of something to quench their thirst. Therefore, it is highly likely that predators will be seeking out these sources of water and will probably come with more than just a parched throat. Sheep make easy meals for a big, hungry dog or cat.

So, here we have a shepherd who, by necessity, leads his sheep to the only place where they will receive a life-sustaining need (clean drinking water) which also happens to be a place where predators would most likely gather. I mean, why not get your thirst quenched and belly full in one place? These still waters aren’t the private oasis and sanctuary I always imagined them to be, no, the shepherd is leading his sheep right into a place where they receive life but will also die without his protection.

God, our Perfect Shepherd, leads us to the place where we receive life and all we need to be sustained, but He does not lead us necessarily into a place where we can be secure on our own. In fact, He intentionally leads us into places where we can’t be secure on our own; otherwise, we wouldn’t need to depend upon Him. If we don’t depend upon Him, we get the glory and not Him. The danger in that is that if He can’t be glorified in and through our lives, we will miss how amazing and wondrous He is. We’ll miss the miracle-working God in exchange for our works, which pale in comparison.

God does not promise us a life of luxury and comfort, but He does promise to be with us no matter what. He does not promise us a life free from things that could spike fear, but He does promise to be our shield. The place of still waters isn’t a sanctuary that is free of insecurity but is rather a place where we can have complete confidence that God is our sovereign protector who is with us every moment of every day. The still waters remind us that we need God to cover and sustain us. They remind us that God can work miracles through us if we depend upon Him. Now, when I imagine the still waters, I’ll remind myself that when fear tries to intimidate me, I can press forward to take a big gulp of what God is leading me to and see the amazing, miraculous work that only He can do.

Lord, thank You for leading us to the still waters. Thank You that You lead us in Your wisdom, sustain us, and cover us. Thank You that You are our sanctuary wherever we go. I choose to step out in what Your plans are for me today and trust in Your strength to work in and through me. Thank You for being a miracle-working God, and may I never trade Your works for mine. Amen.

Yoder, A. “When the Lord is Shepherd.” Good Shepherd Community Church. 28 Feb. 2021, Reamstown, PA. Sermon.