Restore

Ps 23:3a "He restores my soul." ESV

 

Rest, refreshment and restoration. What a cool God we have. One who cares about our bodies (lie down-rest), our minds (get rid of stress-refresh) and now this, our souls –restoration.

 

These are only four words, but they are powerful. Here we go:

 

He. This is referring to the Lord our Shepherd. This is a God thing. What is happening here is His work, not mine. What is happening here is His responsibility, not mine. This is something that He is going to do for me because He is a caring, nurturing, loving Shepherd.

 

Restores. The word for "restores" is actually the same word that is used for "repent". To return. To turn back. To bring back. To reverse. God is in the business of restoration. He is in the business of bringing things back. He is in the business of turning us around when we are going the wrong way. Again, this is not something that I do…He does it.

 

My. This is personal. This is intimate. God knows what I am like and He knows exactly what I need when I need it. He knows the direction that I am taking. He knows what I am thinking and what I am doing and He is going to bring restoration to…

 

Soul. This is my inner man. This is my very life. My desire. My emotion. My passion. What makes me tick inside. This is the thing that gets weary when garbage hits. This is the thing that gets sapped when disappointment comes. This is the thing that gets drained when we feel let down.

 

And what does God do with my soul? He turns it around. He brings it back. He reverses the negativity and turns me toward what is positive…toward what is true…toward Him.

 

I have a friend, Joe. This guy is one of the most positive men that I know. He always seems to be up, no matter what. Joe has been battling cancer for years. The constant tests. The recurrence. The chemo. And through it all, Joe has had an unbelievable attitude. I saw something in Joe last week that I have not seen before. He is weary. He is tired of the chemo and its effects and he is ready to stop the treatment. What does Joe need? "He restores my soul.". My prayer for Joe is that God would reach down and bring that restoration. That refreshment. That rest. That God would invade his inner man and bring him hope. That God would invade his body and bring healing.

 

And what Joe is feeling many of us feel whether we hit illness, or divorce, or financial problems, or kid problems, or job situations, or whatever. It all can hit our souls. That is where God steps in and reverses our inner man and restores and renews our souls. It is all God…He does the work.

 

If you are reading this, please pray that God would do this work for Joe.