Articles
He Leads Me Beside Quiet Waters
There is a storm brewing. The apostles are trying to stay alive. But the size of the waves, the strength of the wind, and the intimidation of the darkness have these grown men terrified for their lives. And then in the midst of the turbulence, they spot Jesus standing on the water and He beckons them to, “Come.” And then Peter does something amazing. He steps out of the boat and walks on water as He comes toward Jesus. As the wind picks up, Peter again becomes frightened and starts to sink. And then Jesus stretches out His hand and takes hold of him.
Sheep are timid animals. They are deftly afraid of swift moving water because they are poor swimmers due to their heavy coat of wool. The water soaks into the wool and pulls them down. And so instinctively, sheep will not drink from a moving stream. The sheep will only drink from still, quiet waters. The shepherd doesn’t chastise the sheep for this fear but instead beckons and leads them to a place in the valleys and mountains where their thirst may be quenched by still, quiet waters.
We live in a turbulent, fast-paced world that places upon us heavy burdens. These burdens can leave us agitated and disoriented. And so we experience anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, heart trouble, headaches, a host of stomach disorders, etc. And without God, we seek comfort from sources that only make matters worse – pills, alcohol, TV, toys, etc. Eventually the current becomes so strong that like sheep, our “wool” becomes so drenched that the current of society drifts us away and eventually drowns us.
God’s desire is to save us from these troubled waters by leading us by the hand to safety. He knows our limitations, He does not condemn us because we have weaknesses, and He doesn’t demand of us anything that is beyond our strength and ability. Instead, He is constantly ministering to our needs because He understands the load on our shoulders. He also knows where the places of nourishment and refreshment are located.
This does not mean we won’t have challenges. It does not mean we won’t be caught in storms. What it does mean for us is that in the midst of these storms God is standing with His hand outstretched tenderly beckoning us toward Him. And with faith, like Peter, we can walk on water. And like Peter, when we become discouraged and begin to sink, God is there to pull us back up. We tend to be hard on Peter for his lack of faith. But where were the other 11? A least Peter got out of the boat. And because He did, Jesus led Him in the midst of the storm to still, quiet waters.
