Still Waters, Refreshing Grace. | Angie Oswald

Hey everyone, I hope you’re all doing well!

- ESV Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

I continue to find myself repeating this verse over and over again in my head as I live through the quiet moments of my day, and I think God is continuing to remind me of all His blessings that this verse emphasizes. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” I think many times in our lives, we get so caught up in the moment that we forget to rest, we forget to set time aside for silence, for time with the Lord. It’s so easy to forget rest for ourselves, and I think this verse specifically emphasizes how God calls us to rest, and He calls us to be still. Stillness is truly a blessing, as it not only gives us the rest that many of us need in the midst of the chaos, but it also allows us to give God some of our time, I know I’m definitely guilty of forgetting to set aside time for that stillness. This Psalm has continued to guide me throughout my life in every different step of my journey that I’ve gone through with the Lord, it reminds me that he is continuously the calm after the storm. Even when we walk through the darkest valleys of our lives, with God’s love we will fear nothing, for we know He is always with us. I know for me, it’s so easy to get caught up worrying about what college is going to accept me, and what my future looks like, and it continues to drive me crazy that it’s full of uncertainty especially right now. But, I think there’s absolute beauty in the uncertainty, to say that sometimes, God doesn’t intend for YOU to know the fate of your future, but HE always does and there’s a reason for it. I always say to my self, not my will be done, but yours God. He will guide us through each and every part of our life, and he will refresh us through it all.

- Acts 3:19-20 ESV says, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,” Paul is writing in this verse to tell us to repent! For through repentance and forgiveness, the Lord will refresh us, He will cleanse us through his undeniable grace and unconditional love. The love that God has for us each moment in our lives is so much greater than any worry or doubt we may possess, no matter where we’re standing, not just in the season of college acceptances/decisions. That forgiveness is given to us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross not only for those that believe, but also those that denied, for those that mocked and ridiculed, and that alone shows the weight of his undeserving love for us. We need Jesus, we need his grace, and we need to be refreshed by Him every day that we live out.Still Waters, Refreshing Grace.