September 18 – Beside Still Waters

Gregg’s Reflection

Some of my most peaceful hours have been spent sitting on a riverbank, rod in hand, watching the current smooth itself into a glassy pool. In those still places, the river seems to whisper, “Rest here awhile.” Just as fish linger in the calm eddies where they can breathe and feed without struggle, so too our souls need quiet waters where we can be nourished. 

Psalm 23 assures us that God leads us beside such still waters and restores our soul. I’ve come to see this not only as a promise but also as an invitation: will I allow myself to rest, or will I keep pressing forward in constant motion? Often, my compulsion to stay busy keeps me from receiving the renewal that God longs to give.

When I stop, breathe, and simply dwell by the stream—whether in prayer, silence, or time outdoors—something in me resets. My anxieties soften, my striving quiets, and I feel carried again by grace. Still waters are not empty; they are filled with God’s restoring presence. 

Scripture

He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.

Psalm 23:2–3

Ancient Quotes

The soul is like a ship that has sails and oars and rudder, and when the winds of grace blow upon it, it moves with calmness and is led to the haven of rest.

John Cassian, Conferences, II.5

To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there to stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all-seeing, within you. There, in the still waters of the heart, we are restored.

Theophan the Recluse, The Art of Prayer, p. 57

Modern Quotes

Fishing is the appropriate symbol of dipping down into one’s own unconscious. The sea is the natural image of the vast unconscious. I think this is the reason we can sit by the ocean for hours and watch it with fascination—waiting for the gift from the sea, waiting for something to show itself.

Richard Rohr, CAC Morning Devotion, 9/5/22

Fly fishing, successfully undertaken, builds enormous faith in the human ability to make contact with unseen beings. When you have repeatedly accomplished tasks as unlikely as slinging a dry fly towards a hidden aquatic being rising eighty feet away, only to hook, battle and drag that being into your hands, you grow reluctant to say what is or isn’t possible in terms of contacting things invisible-including even invisible fly fishing guides.

David James Duncan, My Story as Told by Water, p. 252

Fishing as Focused Meditation. You are in a beautiful place, You are called to that space by the trout. Your focus on the fly on the water keeps you from focusing on other things in the broader view. You have to stay present in the present moment, expecting that at any moment, something might happen. When you hook the fish, it is fighting for its life. It is very primordial.

James Finley, Living School Symposium 7/25/22

Journaling Prompts

• Where do you sense God inviting you to pause beside still waters?
  
  
• How do busyness and striving keep you from receiving renewal?
  
  
• What practices restore your soul when you feel drained?
  
  
• How might you create space today for rest in God’s presence?

Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 38 Reflection: River/Divine Flow