OUR LORD WHO RESTORES OUR SOULS

One of the most famous passages from the bible is found in Psalm 23.  The New King James rendition is the most familiar and the first three verses go like this;

1- The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2- He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3- He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

When we accept the Lord as our shepherd, we are brought into His fold and our focus is on the things of His Kingdom and by His grace, He undertakes to take care of all that we have need of.

He makes us lie down in green pastures which means that He gives us rest and because we are surrounded by provisions, we are assured of his care for us and thus we are not worried or anxious about anything.

He leads us beside still waters which means that Jesus provides water to refresh us that we would no longer thirst. The still waters also symbolize that He stills the turbulence in our hearts so that our souls can be still and quiet before Him. In this hushed condition, we can hear His still small voice as He comforts us and guides us. The still waters are also reflecting pools where we are  invited to truly see ourselves the way He sees us and understand the purpose for which we were made.

While we are in this repose, Jesus restores our souls from the injuries, traumas, pollutants, toxins and evils deeds we encounter  that  bring structural damage to the spaces of our souls. 

The delicate work of the reconstruction of the ruined portions of our souls  involves a complex mix of revivication, stitching, rescusitation  and inner healing  to return our souls to their original design specifications.

Our Lord Jesus, the good shepherd, patiently and kindly mends our souls when we learn to trust him and commit ourselves to Him.

With restored souls, Jesus is better able to lead us in paths of righteousness for His name's sake so we should look for every opportunity to quieten ourselves before Him so he can make us lie down in green pastures and lead us besides still waters where he can do the work of restoring our souls.

As Psalm 103 verse 1 says, Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name.

Amen.