“He restoreth my soul…” Psalm 23:3
We all need our soul restored. We have all been hurt, not just emotionally, but spiritually, as well. We have all been beaten up by life. We all have hidden the pain, the emptiness and the guilt of our past sins. We have all carried around with us these wounds and battle scars. All of this truly burdens our soul, and we need it restored.
The good news here is that God wants nothing more than to restore our soul as David tells us in this Psalm; “He restoreth my soul” (v3). In the Hebrew, the word for “restore” (shûwb) is a verb that can mean many different things. It can mean to return to go back, to do again, to withdraw, to bring back, to restore, as well as other meanings. This verb is used over one thousand times in Scripture with various meanings. In the context of Psalm 23, it means to restore or to bring back the soul as if it had flown away. It can then come to itself again, there by imparting or giving the soul new life.
The soul (nephesh) that David speaks of here, can also have different meanings, such as a breathing creature. However, in this context this noun is speaking of the inner being, with all its thoughts and emotions.
David is saying here that it is the Lord, our Good Shepherd, who brings back (restores) our inner being (soul) from the dryness, the emptiness, the heat of temptation and sin, so that we may taste the very essence of life in His presence, which refreshes us, strengthens us, and gives us a new life.
So, how does God do all of this? He does it through Christ Jesus. Whether we are dealing with the guilt of our own sins, the pain and hurt that comes from others who have sinned against us, or the grief of losing a loved one, our Good Shepherd is always right there to restore our soul and bring that new life in Him into our hearts.
The most basic truth of Christianity is that Jesus Christ has already paid for all our sins. Everything that was wrong between God and us, Jesus has made right through His saving work on the cross. His resurrection is absolute proof that this is true. No psychologist, counselor or therapist has the power to wipe the slate clean and bring us back into a right relationship with our God. Only the Lord can do that. Only the Good Shepherd has the power to restore our soul.
It is through faith in Christ that we are brought back into this very real and loving relationship with the Almighty God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can let go of ourselves and place our whole life and complete trust in Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd.
What is so freeing for us is when God forgives, it is immediate, it is complete, it is unconditional. So when we take hold of how our Good Shepherd has brought this restoration into our life, it actually affects so many other areas of our life. This is what enables us to forgive those who have hurt us, instead of holding on to that anger and hard heartedness. This is what enables us to move beyond the emptiness of grieving when a love one dies, and see things with “eternity eyes”, eyes that see that the story has not ended, it has just moved on to a different chapter. This is the reality of having our soul restored by our Good Shepherd. He truly is the One who restores all things, including our soul and makes all things new. This is why we must cling to this amazing grace of God and trust not in ourselves or this world, but in the life-changing, life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. This is where we find restoration for our souls.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Keith Enko