Be Still And Know

Proverbs 10:11 We are so used to drinking clean water from our taps that it is hard to think of those times in history when that wasn’t possible – and it still isn’t in many parts of the world. In the time when the writer of Proverbs composed this book, water was either drawn from cisterns that collected rainwater, or from wells or springs. The problem with both cisterns and wells was that the water may well have been standing for a long time and could be full of disease. The very best source of water was a fountain or spring that brought clean, life-giving water. It was a powerful image that everyone would have immediately understood, and the writer was indicating that the words of the godly will be a blessing wherever they go. The problem with words is that it is so easy to use them casually. Often we wish we could eat our words because they have done no good. Towards the end of his life Winston Churchill said: “During a long life I have had to eat my own words many times and I have found it a very