Calm Waters in Sight

Nothing says peace like a still stream.  When the wind stops blowing and the waters are calm you can see through to the ground as well as your reflection on the surface.  Have you ever just sat at the side of a stream or on a bridge and looked down at the peaceful water?  Have you looked for pebbles on the bottom or rocks with unique patterns?  When the water is still you can see where it is safe to step.  Not only can you feel the ground, you can see your path and where you are to tread.  God is like that too.  He said “be still and know I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)  When you are still you can feel God all around you.  You can see the path you are to take and where you have come from, sometimes even how all the pieces fit together.  The firm rock that always holds us up is there, we just can’t see it through the chaos and the storms.  One of the things I love about peaceful waters is that not only can you see through them to God, but you can also see yourself on the surface.  The water acts like a mirror reflecting our image.  How closely does it match up with God?  Can I see peace on my face or wrinkles of fear and struggle?  God says be still (Mark 4:39).  Stop what you are doing and rest; let him refill those places that are empty.  Refresh your spirit with the life giving waters of God. 

There’s a pattern to water just like there is a pattern to our journeys.  If you think about a stream there are times in its path where the water is calm and peaceful.  There are also times when there are rapids and waterfalls before we find still waters again.  God gives us times of rest at the end of periods of struggle.  During that rest we reflect on what we have gone through and we grow.  We prepare ourselves for the next adventure, the next time God asks us to serve and we are prepared to say where and how.  The song on my heart today is an old hymn… “As the deer panted over the waters so my soul panted over you.  You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.”  Are you thirst for God, for a time of rest by the streams of his love?  Then come to the water and sit by God.  Be still and know that he is there!