Noon

Read: Psalm 23

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. --- Psalm 23:2

The Bible In One Year:
Judges 7-8
Luke 5:1-16

Our office is a busy place where things sometimes feel like they are moving at breakneck speed. This often involves meeting after meeting, hallway conferences, and an avalanche of e-mail.

In the midst of this extreme busyness, I sometimes feel the need to escape, to decompress. My response? To create a quiet place. On those days when I have no lunch meeting, I retreat to the quiet of my car, where I can read, listen to music, think, pray --- and be refreshed.

I think this is the essence of what the shepherd-psalmist points to in Psalm 23:2. He sees the Good Shepherd bringing him to "still waters" --- that is, waters to rest by. It pictures a quiet place, a retreat from the pressures of life, where you can rest in the presence of the Shepherd of your heard and be strengthened for what lies ahead. Even Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to pray and commune with His Father [Mark 1:35]/

We all need retreats in our lives, not only because of the overwhelming nature of life, but because of our dependence on the resources of the Master. In our fast-paced days, it is essential to find a place of solitude, "a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God." Where's yours? --- Bill Crowder

There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God,
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God. --- McAfee

WHEN WE DRAW NEAR TO GOD OUR MINDS ARE REFRESHED AND OUR STRENGTH IS RENEWED!