“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3a (NKJV)
Are there ever times when you find yourself stopping and saying, ‘My soul needs to be restored’?
Everyday life has a habit of chipping away at the soul. The light and life of God visible in all we do and have gets occluded in the barrage of constant messages to ‘Get rich or die trying’, ‘work harder’, ‘do more’. Sometimes it feels like the hamster wheel just keeps turning and there is no hope of ever stepping off.
David recognized that lying down and resting in a green open pasture is made possible not because we are well organized but because God is our Shepherd. Green pastures with quiet waters were perfect places for a Shepherd to take his sheep but they were also places where predators were likely to attack. The idea of just lying down and resting here would be unthinkable without the provision and protection of the Shepherd.
Notice it is God who takes the initiative; He is the one who makes, who leads and it is He who restores. The Hebrew word used here for restore implies that God is actively and ever-presently acting to restore our souls
God wants to lead us to places where our souls are restored, where we are made whole again in Him.
Today stop a while, lie down in the green pastures of God’s grace. Trust Him that He will make space for you to do all you need to do in your busy schedule. Rest in Him, drink deep draughts of His living water, let Him refresh and restore your soul…He is your Shepherd!