He leads me beside the stilling waters. Psalm 23:2b
--He - this same faithful God, our Great Shepherd, Who cares for His sheep
--Leads - a little stronger word for “making” me do something than in the earlier phrase, “makes me to lie down in green pastures.” He may call His sheep into line by calling their name or by tapping them with His staff.
--Me - sometimes careless, wayward or rebellious sheep insisting on our own, sometimes dangerous ways
-Beside the stilling waters - not the still or stagnant waters, but waters that still, calm or refresh me. Years ago when Motel 6 really cost just over $6.00 a night and we could not afford that, we wanted to stay overnight in Gatlinburg, TN to show our family some of the beauty of God’s creation in that section of the Great Smokey Mountains. Somehow we found, perhaps the cheapest motel in town. Maybe the name of it tells you something about it – Buford’s Court. It was one of those very old motels where each room was a separate small cabin. There was no carpet, no air conditioning, the TV was black and white and it smelled very musty. But when I opened the back window to let in some fresh air, I learned that it had one redeeming feature which made that little cabin a real bargain. Outside the back of this little string of motel “rooms” flowed a beautiful, bubbling, stilling mountain brook or stream. It was so relaxing that it was refreshing.
-After resting in the green pastures, my Shepherd leads me beside the stilling waters to calm me down before a good night’s sleep.