Being Driven or Being Led

Still Waters or Taskmasters: The Quiet Difference

There’s a profound contrast in how life moves forward. One way comes with the crack of a whip from behind—relentless, demanding, exhausting. The other is the calm voice of a shepherd calling from ahead—steady, gentle, restoring.

Scripture never mixes these up. It knows both paths intimately.

When David declares, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:1–2), he’s not painting a picture of idleness. No, he’s describing God’s way of moving us forward: quietly, purposefully, without frenzy or fear.

Contrast that with Israel’s grim memory in Egypt: “The Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor... their lives bitter with hard bondage” (Exodus 1:13–14). Progress was forced. People mattered less than production. Rest was forbidden; slowness punished. The pace never let up.

These aren’t just history lessons. They’re mirrors for our lives today. Most of us drift between these two realities, often blind to which one is truly shaping our days.

The Driven Life

Long before “hustle culture” became a buzzword, counselors were spotting it. Back in the ‘90s, a book called We Are Driven nailed the issue: many of us aren’t propelled by genuine calling, but by an inner compulsion that never shuts off.

It sounds noble—discipline, excellence, stewardship. And those things aren’t wrong. But untethered from rest and trust, they turn cruel. The driven life breeds urgency without peace, motion without reflection, achievement without joy.

Pharaoh never outlawed worship. He just buried it under endless bricks: “Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words” (Exodus 5:9).

Taskmasters still work that way. They overload us until faith has no room to breathe.

And here’s the sobering part: sometimes the harshest taskmaster isn’t out there—it’s us. We drive ourselves harder than God ever would. We shame ourselves for pausing, for listening. We confuse exhaustion with faithfulness and burnout with devotion.

God didn’t free Israel from Pharaoh just to let them become their own oppressors.

Empty Remedies

When the driven life starts cracking, we rarely repent. We reach for fixes—productivity hacks, self-care routines, mindfulness apps, therapeutic talk stripped of truth. They promise relief without surrender.

Scripture calls them what they are: “clouds and wind without rain” (Proverbs 25:14). Pretty from afar, but empty when you need water.

Or worse: “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). They demand constant upkeep yet leave the soul parched.

I’ve chased them myself—structure instead of surrender, systems instead of stillness, momentum instead of obedience. No technique can replace a Shepherd.

The Shepherd’s Gentle Way

Being led isn’t laziness. God never winks at sloth. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). But diligence under a shepherd feels entirely different from diligence under a taskmaster. One bears lasting fruit; the other breeds fear.

A true shepherd doesn’t drive from behind. He leads from the front with his familiar voice and reassuring presence.

Isaiah 40 shows a God vast beyond measure, tender beyond expectation—high and holy, yet close enough to carry the weak home.

God is the Shepherd who gathers lambs in his arms and gently leads the weary (v.11); the Sovereign King whose arm rules and whose reward comes with him (v.10); the Creator who measures oceans in his hand, weighs mountains like dust, and calls every star by name (vv.12, 26). He is the incomparable One before whom nations are a drop in the bucket and rulers fade like grass (vv.15, 22–24), yet also the Strength-Giver, lifting the exhausted so they run and do not faint (v.29–31).

• Sovereign King who comes with power → “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

• Creator who made and sustains all things → “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3)

• Lord over nations and rulers → “The kings of the earth… will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.” (Revelation 17:14)

• Incomparable God, above idols → “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philippians 2:10–11)

• Strength-Giver to the weary → “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

• Sustainer of the cosmos (stars named and held) → “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

Isaiah 40 thunders about Yahweh; the Gospels whisper—and then proclaim—that this same glory walks among us in Christ.

Jesus claims all these images for Himself. For this brief article, let’s focus on the Shepherd. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

W. Phillip Keller, a real-life shepherd who penned the classic A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, observed this firsthand: “The strange thing about sheep is that because of their very make-up it is almost impossible for them to lie down unless four requirements are met: freedom from fear, from friction with the flock, from pests, and from hunger. Only the shepherd’s watchful care can provide those conditions.”

Sheep lie down only when they feel utterly safe. Still waters aren’t indulgence—they’re chosen because rushing streams terrify them. Being led means trust, not passivity. Strength without frenzy. Progress without panic.

And here is the deeper comfort for us: our Shepherd is not merely watchful—He is sovereign, omniscient, and omnipresent. He knows every danger before it forms, sees every need before we feel it, and is already present in every moment we will ever face. Because nothing escapes His notice or His power, we can afford to slow down, to lie down, to trust His pace without the frantic need to manage tomorrow ourselves.

Jesus puts it plainly to weary, driven souls: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).

He doesn’t say drop every yoke. He says exchange it for His. Walk with Me; let Me carry the weight.

That’s the pace of refreshing—the kind that flows “from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Not stolen moments, but sustained restoration.

The Daily Choice

Most of us don’t reject God’s leading outright. We just crowd it out with noise and self-imposed pressure. We mistake urgency for calling, silence for failure.

Yet those truly led often accomplish the most—not by speeding up, but by moving with God.

Israel left Egypt in a single night, but it took decades for Egypt to leave Israel. Same with us. We embrace grace yet live like slaves.

The invitation stands: green pastures, still waters, a Shepherd who walks ahead—no whip, only His voice.

So, friend, the question is straightforward and searching: Are you being driven... or being led?

For Further Reading

If the Lord has used these words to stir your heart toward His gentle leading, here are some trustworthy companions for the journey—books that have encouraged countless travelers along this same path:

• A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller – Timeless insights from a man who lived the life of a shepherd and saw the beauty of Psalm 23 anew.

• Intimacy with the Almighty by Charles R. Swindoll – A heartfelt call to simplicity, silence, solitude, and surrender in drawing near to God.

• We Are Driven: The Compulsive Behaviors America Applauds by Robert Hemfelt, Frank Minirth, and Paul Meier – The very book that first exposed the hidden compulsions behind so much of our drivenness.

• Zeal without Burnout by Christopher Ash – Wise, biblical counsel for serving God faithfully and sustainably, without sacrificing your soul.

• Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray – Practical, gospel-centered guidance for finding true rest in a world that never slows down.

Copyright Notice

© 2026 Danny R. Howell. All rights reserved.
This article may not be reproduced, distributed, or republished in whole or in part without the author’s written permission, except for brief quotations with proper attribution.

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Disclosure / Non-Affiliation Statement

The books and authors referenced in this article are mentioned for educational and pastoral purposes only. I am not affiliated with any of the authors, publishers, or organizations named, and I receive no compensation or material benefit from these recommendations.