OCTOBER 27, 2003

“WATERS OF REST”

In the familiar words of The Twenty-Third Psalm, we are promised that God will lead us “beside still waters.” You may find a footnote in your Bible that tells you that the Hebrew words would better be translated “beside waters of rest.” The stillness does not describe the water, but the calm spirit of the person who rests by its side.

This is a pleasant discovery for me, because I find a babbling brook more comforting than a perfectly silent pond. All too often a standing pool of water becomes stagnant and the water loses its power to refresh us.

Psalm 46 combines these ideas effectively:
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God” (verse 4).
A river, not a pond—with constantly flowing fresh water. The river of spiritual life flows from God’s own loving heart. This truth allows the psalmist to express the Lord’s comforting invitation:
“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Verse 10)

Often in the Scripture water is a symbol of God’s life-giving Word. Some people think of God’s Word as being limited to the pages of the Bible. If they leave their Bible on the shelf, however, God’s Word can become like a stagnant pool of standing water to them. Actually, God’s Word is meant to be an ever-flowing stream, never resting, always babbling the Good News. The Word flows through preaching, teaching, evangelism, and the everyday lives of believers. By this water, God ”restores the soul” of those in need of comfort and relief. In this way, God’s Word brings true rest and peace.

–Pastor George Van Alstine