Quiet Waters

Recently,  we had a sermon series on Psalm 23.  It was amazing.

I remember the first time I became “aware” of these verses.  I was in First Grade and the school sent me home with a flyer from a company that made I.D. bracelets.  They were wrist-wide metal plaques with decorative chains to complete the bracelet.  Of course, there were some specifically for those with diabetes, or other issues that a medical professional would need to know about.  There were other “just for fun” styles, too – such as one’s initials, or name, with an engraved image (flower, animal) to the side.  I examined all the choices on the bus ride home.

One of the options had a picture of Jesus in that pose often found on cemetery statues and the words:  “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”  WHAT!?  Why would someone go through the trouble of engraving Jesus on a bracelet and then say they don’t want him?  It upset me.  When I got home, I showed the awfulness to Mom and she helped figure it out.  Ahhh.  Punctuation matters.  There must have been a semicolon or a dash in there somewhere.

Anyway, that was the first time.  And there have been countless revisits.  But God’s Word is living and active and sharper than any sword, so it is always new.

I love the imagery in this Psalm – the sheep and shepherd.  Pasture. Stream. Valley. Shadow. Table. Cup.  In my mind’s eye, I have always pictured those very literally. I have seen the sheep walking next to Jesus.  I have imagined that I was the sheep, but always, I have “seen” a sheep.  This time, though, as we walked through the verses one-by-one, I began to see the images of my “real” life.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

So soothing.

So opposite from the way my life often feels – with the long to-do lists and the rushing to not be late, wanting to do things the “best” way possible, trying to keep things in proper perspective and yet, still hoping to measure up, desiring to please God, to represent him well, to not let Him (or anyone else) down.   All the while, He is simply wanting me to rest in Him so He can restore my soul.

At last, I am seeing my self in the Psalm and not a sheep.  My actual middle-aged (yeah, I said it – there is really no denying it any more) self.   As the real picture comes into focus, I am fully aware that God is guiding me through these days and is supplying what I need in very practical ways.

On a recent errand with Nick, our even-tempered, peace making son, I realized that he is one of the “real” Quiet Waters that God has placed in my life.  I told him so.  He said, “Thanks,” and gave me a hug.

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.