Ever feel like your brain has about forty browser tabs open and they’re all playing different loud music? That’s basically how anxiety feels for a lot of us. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s constant. Then you hear a song like leanna crawford still waters psalm 23 lyrics and everything sort of just… stops.
Leanna Crawford isn’t just singing a Sunday school song here. Honestly, she’s tapping into something much deeper. Released as the title track of her debut album in 2024, "Still Waters (Psalm 23)" has become this massive anthem for people who are just tired of being stressed out.
It’s personal.
Most people don’t realize the song actually starts with a shout-out to a real person. Her Great Aunt Maurine. Maurine lived to be 103, which is incredible on its own, but the story goes that when she was in her 40s, she found out she was going blind. Instead of spiraling, she decided to memorize as much of the Bible as she could while she still had her sight.
She got through about 90% of it.
That’s the "why" behind the first verse. When Leanna sings about writing scripture on your heart because "anxiety hates Psalm 23," she’s quoting a woman who actually lived it. It's not just a nice sentiment; it's a proven survival strategy from a woman who faced literal darkness with internal light.
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Breaking Down the Leanna Crawford Still Waters Psalm 23 Lyrics
If you look at the chorus, it’s basically a modernized, melodic version of the most famous poem ever written. But Leanna adds this specific tag that resonates with the modern "overthinker" generation.
She sings:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He leads me by still waters 'til my fears are gone.
That last line—"'til my fears are gone"—is the hook. It acknowledges that peace isn't always instant. Sometimes you have to sit by those waters for a minute. You have to stay there until the heart rate slows down.
The Verse That Hits Different
The second verse moves into the "broken pieces" of life. It’s a very vulnerable admission. She asks God to turn "this broken piece in me to peace and quiet."
It’s a clever play on words, but it’s also a heavy prayer.
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We often try to fix our own brokenness by doing more, buying more, or scrolling more. This song argues for the opposite. It suggests that the power isn't in our "hustle," but in the "Word" that we say over and over until our souls actually remember it.
Why This Song Went Number One
By May 2025, this track hit #1 on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart. It wasn't just because it’s catchy. It’s because it’s a "balm."
We live in a world that is objectively noisy. Whether it's the news, social media, or just the internal pressure to be "perfect," the noise is relentless. Leanna’s version of Psalm 23 acts like noise-canceling headphones for the soul.
The Theology of "Still Waters"
Let’s get nerdy for a second. In the original Hebrew context of Psalm 23, "still waters" (mei menuchot) literally translates to "waters of rest" or "quiet waters."
Sheep won't drink from rushing, turbulent water. They’re too skittish. They’re afraid they’ll fall in and their wool will get heavy and they’ll drown. They need the water to be still to feel safe enough to hydrate.
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Leanna captures this perfectly.
She isn't saying the valley of the shadow of death doesn't exist. She’s saying that even in that valley, there's a riverside where you can lay fear down.
The bridge of the song repeats:
Still waters run through any valley I could find. That’s the claim. That no matter how deep the "dark valley" (or the depression, or the job loss, or the grief) gets, the "still water" is accessible. It’s not a destination you reach after the trial is over; it’s a resource you have during the trial.
Practical Steps to Find Your Own "Still Waters"
If you're feeling overwhelmed, just listening to the song is a great start, but there are ways to make the message stick.
- The "Over and Over" Method: Leanna sings about saying the truth until your soul is reminded. Pick one line. "The Lord is my shepherd." Say it when you wake up, when you're in traffic, and when you're trying to fall asleep.
- Identify Your "Broken Pieces": Don't ignore the anxiety. Name what is making the water turbulent in your life right now.
- Curate Your Input: If anxiety hates Psalm 23, it probably loves 24-hour news cycles and comparison-heavy Instagram feeds. Switch the input.
- Learn the "Maurine" Way: You don't have to memorize the whole Bible, but having a few "anchor verses" in your head for when the lights go out (literally or metaphorically) changes the game.
The beauty of leanna crawford still waters psalm 23 lyrics is that they remind us we aren't the ones in charge of finding the path. We're just the sheep. The Shepherd does the leading.
Our only job is to follow Him to the water and actually take a drink.
Ready to de-stress? Grab your headphones, find a quiet spot, and listen to the acoustic version of "Still Waters." Pay attention to the bridge—it’s where the real shift happens.