“He restores my soul.” –
Psalm 23:3
In the Psalms, David often
writes about the state of his soul. He eloquently expresses exactly how we feel
much of the time. He refers to his soul as a young child (Psalm 131:2). He talks
about his soul plunging into distress (Psalm 32; 51). He encourages and exhorts
his soul (Psalm 103:1). Then, in Psalm 23 he pictures Jesus as our Good
Shepherd, who leads His sheep to “green pastures,” “quiet waters” and “paths of
righteousness”, and He restores our soul. What is the meaning of the verb
“restores”, which is used over 1,000 times in the Old Testament?
I like to think of it as a
“refreshing” from the Lord. I picture myself sprinkled by the mist of a
waterfall on a hot summer day, or wading in a brook, or walking into an
air-conditioned room after working out in the yard or drinking a cool glass of
herbal iced tea. “Refreshing”…I just love that word. God refreshes our soul ~
our mind, our will and our emotions.
To “restore” also has the implication of fixing something that is broken. It means to take something that is old and in need of repair and renewing, refurbishing, renovating, modernizing, mending or recovering it. When God moves into a soul, He dismantles it and builds it up with all new materials. He provides us with a spiritual makeover from the inside out.
The dictionary also
describes the word “restore” as bringing something back to or
putting it back into its former or original state. It refers to converting,
reviving or transforming our soul from a fleshly, carnal entity to a
spirit-filled state of existence. When the Holy Spirit moves into our soul, He brings us back to the
place of holy innocence that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden.
The soul is the deepest part
of our psyche. It is the essence of who we are as a person. The
soul expresses our human personality. It
controls our thoughts, emotions and our will. When we submit our soul to the
unction of the Holy Spirit, we accomplish all that God ordains for us to do
each day. His
Spirit iluminates His Word to bring healing to our soul. He even uncovers and
heals childhood wounds, which we tried to forget, but which influence us every
day of our lives from our subconscious mind. He also rids our soul of any turbulent thoughts fueled by negative
emotions such as: worry, guilt, regret, anger, sadness, unrest, frustration,
and fear. He restores our thoughts to equanimity and order.
Our spirit is a separate entity from
our soul. Until we are born again by the Spirit of God, our spirit is dead. We
have a body and soul, but not a spirit. Once we invite Jesus Christ to move in,
He breathes His breath of life into our spirit and we are saved from the
bondage of sin and set free to live a victorious life. Our spirit is the
innermost portion of our triune being. It is where the Holy Spirit dwells
within us. It is the command center from which we gain our daily marching
orders, our comfort, our truth, our wisdom, and all the attributes of the His
fruit (Galatians 5: 22). The Holy Spirit works from our spirit to restore the
balance in our soul.
Prayer:
Lord God, you restore our
soul to a refreshing equilibrium under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the
administrations of our Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14). You assuage our fears,
vanquish our woes, restore our peace, and guide us every moment of our life. We
are never alone. You never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). Thought for the Day:
God shines His light into the corners of our soul, exposing carnality and sin, which wraps us in bondage and holds us hostage until He sets us free.
