March 13, 2026
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According to recent studies, being around the blue spaces of water brings confidence, resilience, a reduction of stress, and positively affects a person’s mood.1 Being near calm bodies of water also positively affects relationships by increasing a sense of belonging and a willingness to share life experiences with others.2
The biblical authors also felt being beside calm waters provided similar benefits. They used the imagery of still waters to communicate rescue, safety, rest, and a peace that brought an increased awareness of their relationship with God.
In the Old Testament, David portrays the Lord as leading him “beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2 ESV).3 In this psalm, the Hebrew word menukhah (meh-noo-khah) translated as “still,” means “resting place,” or, “rest.”4 The phrase “still waters” literally means “waters of rest.” Elsewhere, menukhah is used to connotate a spiritual rest or a person’s relationship with God (Psalm 95:11; Hebrews 4:1-10).5 It can also be used to communicate peace from adversaries (1 Kings 8:56) or a place of security and assurance (2 Samuel 14:17).6
When David wrote Psalm 23, he was describing a dangerous time period in his life; hiding in the wilderness from enemies intent on his demise.7 In this context, David is using the term menukhah as a poetic metaphor. The imagery is a picture of complete peacefulness; showing the Lord leading His people to a place a sustenance and tranquility.8 For David, he had experienced the blessing of God’s spiritual rest and restoration against the backdrop of distress, inspiring him to share his experience of God leading him to “still waters."9
In other parts of the Scripture, the image of quiet waters as a depiction of divine safety is used in contrast to the imagery of stormy seas as an illustration of distress.
For example, Psalm 107:29-30 says:
“He (the Lord) made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they (those who called upon the Lord) were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.”
The New Testament shares a similar depiction but through a historical narrative story involving Jesus:
“And He (Jesus) awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).
In each of these examples, the Lord is shown as responding to the cries of His people for help (Psalm 107:28; Mark 4:38), calming threatening waters and providing safety. By speaking to the waters to be still, the narrative in Mark’s Gospel shows the deity of Jesus, who exercised the same authority demonstrated in Psalm 107:29-30.10 The result of God’s intervention in each instance was peace, safety, and still waters.
Gleaning from these three examples of still waters, we see that the Spirit of God cleanses, refreshes, and cherishes, demonstrating the influence of His grace in our lives.11
For believers of Jesus, we can have confidence that He provides forgiveness and peace,12 doing this for us because of His own name’s sake (Psalm 23:3). As a response, we are encouraged to “thank the Lord for his steadfast love” (Psalm 107:31) and have courageous faith in Christ (Mark 4:40).
As Christians, we know Jesus's provision of peace is so much greater than the benefits we gain by physically being next to calm waters (as noted above). No matter how hard our lives may be, it is a comfort to think of how the Lord has restored our soul; He is our rock, regardless of our circumstances.13 Knowing His power to calm storms of distress into still water, we can have assurance of our relationship with Him.
As the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon explained, “Jesus leads us (to still waters) by his example, and the gentle drawings of his love.”14 He further adds, “God is an all-natural phenomena… (The waves) bow in silence at his feet. When God makes peace, it is peace indeed."15
We can have the confidence to know our Lord can make even the fiercest storms become quiet for us. We are blessed to have the opportunity to be led by Him to still waters.
––––
[1] Easkey Britton, Gesche Kindermann, Christine Domegan, Caitriona Carlin, “Blue Care: A Systematic Review of Blue Space Interventions for Health and Wellbeing,” Health Promotion International 35, no. 1 (2018): 50-69, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day103.
[2] Britton et al., “Blue Care: A Systematic Review of Blue Space Interventions for Healthand Wellbeing,” 50-69.
[3] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).
[4] Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs, Edward Robinson, James Strong, and Wilhelm Gesenius. The Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon: Coded with the Numbering System from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1906), 629.
[5] Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham eds, The Moody Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary on the Whole Bible by the Faculty of Moody Bible Institute (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 781.
[6] Francis Brown et al., The Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, 629-630.
[7]Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary of the Psalms (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1871), 403.
[8] David Jeremiah, note to Psalm 23:2, in The Jeremiah Study Bible, ed. Chris Bearss (New York, NY: Worthy, 2019), 697.
[9] Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1985), 811.
[10]John D. Grassmick, “Mark,” inThe Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, ed. John F.Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1985), 122.
[11] Charles H. Spurgeon, Psalms: Volume 1, series ed. Alister McGrath and J.I. Packer, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1993), 89.
[12] Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 1:811.
[13] Bob Hoekstra, “Psalms: LectureNotes #3,” (Lecture, OT328, Calvary Chapel Bible College, February 22, 2020).
[14] Spurgeon, Psalms, 1:89.
[15] Charles H. Spurgeon, Psalms: Volume II, series ed. Alister McGrath and J.I. Packer, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1993), 115.
