He Leadeth Me Beside the Still Waters
Christ, our Good Shepherd, made it clear that thirsty souls of men and women can only be fully satisfied when their capacity and thirst for spiritual life is fully quenched by drawing on himself.
In Matthew 5:6 He said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled (satisfied)." . . .
Saint Augustine of Africa summed it up so well when he wrote, "O God! Thou hast made us for Thyself and our souls are restless, searching, 'til they find their rest in Thee." . . .
He (the Good Shepherd) leadeth me beside the still waters." . .
Generally speaking, water for the sheep came from three main sources. . .dew on the grass. . . deep wells. . .or springs and streams. . .
In the Christian life it is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident and able to cope with life's complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God's Word. . .
But the irony of life, and the tragic truth for most Christians, is that this is not so. It is often the case that they try, instead, to satisfy their thirst by pursuing almost every other sort of substitute. . .
Only the Spirit and life of Christ Himself will satisfy the thirsting soul. Now, strange as it may appear on the surface, the deep wells of God from which we may drink are not always necessarily the delightful experiences we may imagine them to be. . .
Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep, dangerous and somewhat disagreeable. But it simply must be remembered that He is there with us in it. He is very much at work in the situation. It is His energy, effort and strength expended on my behalf that even in this deep, dark place is bound to produce a benefit for me.
It is there that I will discover He only can really satisfy me. Suddenly life starts to have significance. I discover I am the object of His special care and attention. . . All of this is refreshing, stimulating, invigorating. . .
Of course, there is always a percentage of perverse people who will refuse to allow God to lead them. . They don't want to be directed by the Spirit of God - they don't want to be lead by Him - they want to walk in their own ways and drink from any old sources that they fancy might satisfy their whims. . .
The gracious Holy Spirit was to be given to lead us into truth. He would come as a guide and counselor. Always He would lead us into the things of Christ. He would make us see that the life in Christ was the only truly satisfying life.
-From A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller; pp. 40-46
In Matthew 5:6 He said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled (satisfied)." . . .
He (the Good Shepherd) leadeth me beside the still waters." . .
Generally speaking, water for the sheep came from three main sources. . .dew on the grass. . . deep wells. . .or springs and streams. . .
In the Christian life it is of more than passing significance to observe that those who are often the most serene, most confident and able to cope with life's complexities are those who rise early each day to feed on God's Word. . .
But the irony of life, and the tragic truth for most Christians, is that this is not so. It is often the case that they try, instead, to satisfy their thirst by pursuing almost every other sort of substitute. . .Only the Spirit and life of Christ Himself will satisfy the thirsting soul. Now, strange as it may appear on the surface, the deep wells of God from which we may drink are not always necessarily the delightful experiences we may imagine them to be. . .
Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep, dangerous and somewhat disagreeable. But it simply must be remembered that He is there with us in it. He is very much at work in the situation. It is His energy, effort and strength expended on my behalf that even in this deep, dark place is bound to produce a benefit for me.
It is there that I will discover He only can really satisfy me. Suddenly life starts to have significance. I discover I am the object of His special care and attention. . . All of this is refreshing, stimulating, invigorating. . .
Of course, there is always a percentage of perverse people who will refuse to allow God to lead them. . They don't want to be directed by the Spirit of God - they don't want to be lead by Him - they want to walk in their own ways and drink from any old sources that they fancy might satisfy their whims. . .
The gracious Holy Spirit was to be given to lead us into truth. He would come as a guide and counselor. Always He would lead us into the things of Christ. He would make us see that the life in Christ was the only truly satisfying life.
-From A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller; pp. 40-46
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