Soul Restoration

The 23’rd Psalm

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. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I want to break this down because it’s never meant to me what it has recently. I hope that it will help you and something will stick out that you can grab onto. 

There’s no doubt that this world is dark and bleak right now. There’s no doubt that every single family has had concerns, and even deep worries. Most all of us have faced some sort of difficulty or sickness, or have someone close to us who has. Most of us haven’t ever seen anything quiet like this before, and none anything exactly like. Many have been through wars, lived during the holocaust, depression, slavery and so much more. I discount none of these but there is such fear, an evil in the air and a dark thickness that’s all around us. Only God can break this barrier and I believe it will happen with our prayers, repentance, obedience, His power and with the authority that He has given us to use. It is an unseen realm that we are fighting against. There’s so much unknown. We must understand that the fight is spiritual and we must know the weapons that He has already provided for us to use in order to fight right.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13

I don’t want to take away from the 23’rd Psalm, I just want to set the foundation on which to build. So whether you are in troubled times that are related to this pandemic or have nothing to do with it at all, we know that we were never promised to be without trouble. God told us that we would face trouble. He also told us to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Jesus overcame sickness and sin. We do have a hope and we must keep our eyes upon Him so that we won’t succumb to fear.

This is the way I see it as I break down the verses of Psalm 23

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

     * He is our shepherd; our guide. He cares for us as a shepherd does their sheep. He does for us what we cannot do for ourselves Now more than ever I firmly believe that this help can be through his people. He alone and only can give us the peace that surpasses all understanding and supernatural comfort that comes from His Spirit residing in us. But, as Christians, we house His Spirit and should bear witness to that through our actions and the way that we live. We are His hands and feet. He expressed it so much to Peter that He asked him 3x even after Peter denied Him 3x, “Peter do you love me”??? “LORD, YOU KNOW I DO”, Peter replied!!! Jesus was in sense saying, “then prove it, do something to show Me”. He said, (Ok Peter then) “FEED MY SHEEP”. He expressed the seriousness of the command that was attached to following Him. That’s what pleases God, proves our love for Him and our willingness to follow.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35

He loves us SO MUCH, that He became the ultimate sacrifice and the perfect spotless lamb. We use to sacrifice animals for sin but He became that perfect sacrifice, now He wants our obedience. Sheep were a part of the Old Testament and Jesus represented that in the new as well. He referred to it often. “My sheep know my voice”. And, “other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring.”

Sheep need a shepherd, there are certain things sheep cannot do for themselves and they surely can’t defend themselves against the predator. The point I want to make is this: IF we have accepted Jesus, then we have the very God of the universe, the very same God that implanted the seed in Mary and that raised Jesus from the dead, LIVING INSIDE OF US! We need to take this seriously and realize that there is a lost and dying world and a world full of hurting people who can’t help themselves, who are waiting on us. People need the Lord and the Lord uses us. We all need each other.

Jesus said we’d do even greater things because He sent us His Spirit after He ascended back into heaven. He sent the Comforter to personally live inside of each believer. Not just to be near us, but to reside in us. So He left us to carry on what He first came to do. He trained up His disciples and left them with work to do and we are to carry it on to the day of His return. We must not discount what He can do. Matthew 10:1 tells us that He gives us authority and power over all these things that hinder and come to destroy us. IF WE HAVE HIS SPIRIT INSIDE OF US AND LET IT HAVE FULL RULE AND REIGN, THEN WE OUGHT TO BE HELPING OTHERS. COMFORTING THEM, PRAYING FOR THEM, MENDING THEM AND LETTING HIS LIGHT SHINE THROUGH US TO GIVE THEM THE TRUTH THAT WILL SET THEM FREE. TO GIVE THEM THE SAME HOPE THAT WE NOW HAVE: JESUS, WHO WILL COME IN TO BE THEIR PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR, TO MAKE HIS HOME IN THEIR HEARTS AND IN THEIR LIVES. We ALL need the one and only Savior Who will fill us with this power. We are His hands and feet.

Are we lifting others up, comforting them and providing for them? Even our fellow believers get down and out. I know I do. Do you? Has anyone ever came by to help lift the load? To pray, to listen, to feed? He chose to work through us, His people, those willing vessels who are obedient to listen. Are you listening and looking for opportunities? What do you hear and see? Don’t just pass by opportunities. Be like the good Samaritan and take the opportunity to minister to those around you. Start with what’s in front of you and more will increase. I believe it will in turn, minister to you. There’s no way to truly bless and not be blessed. It’s better to give than to receive. Also, two are better than one for they have a better return on their investment. Invest in each other. If one falls down, the other is there to pick them up. If one is cold, the other helps warm them. We help one another and we all need help. We are the body and each member matters to keep the body whole and undivided. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have other believers pouring into me.

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

    *There are those moments that don’t make sense where He gives us such a peace that otherwise wouldn’t naturally be there. He causes us to rest. There is a calm that flows over us when we rest in Him. The moments when He meets us right where we are to give us that soul rest that only He can give. We are made up of body, soul and spirit. Sometimes it’s more than just a physical ailment that burdens us. Sometimes it’s a matter of the deep, it’s in the soul. Have you ever felt so dry or felt so grieved in your spirit that it gets into your very soul, where you feel like you are at rock bottom and don’t know which way to go? We need soul food. We need those moments with God where He infuses us and gives us what we need. We need our soul replenished and our Spirits re-energized. We need an awakening, a restoring, and I’m here to tell you that it is possible. I can attest. I am here to testify, because I have been there where it seemed so hopeless and I have felt so helpless that I though I might die. Where hope seems to be so distant and fading, almost non-existence. But there is always hope and though the heaviness may linger, He makes a way where there seems to be no way. Don’t jump in the middle of the tunnel, you will see the light of day again if you will just hold on. He is the light that will show up in the dark of night. The darkest hour is just before dawn, no matter how long it takes, the sun will rise on a better day. Don’t give up, don’t give in, cling to His hand and His truth. Recite it and recall His past goodness and it’ll give you something to hold onto. It’s not so far gone that you can’t recover. Nothing escapes His knowledge or power. 

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

    *This is the verse that has meant so much to me. I want to hone in on the fact that sometimes we just need a RE-storing again of our soul. We need a deep deep infusion of the work of the Holy Spirit in us. David would cry out, “WHY are you so downcast within me, so my soul”? 

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 43:5 

He got it. He was having a talk with his own soul. “Why”, he asked. What is wrong with you? He told himself to hope in God, He is our solution. He is our answer. He is the key. David realized where the problem resided and acknowledged Who was His source of help. To restore is to make new again. He was tried, tired and weary no doubt. His soul was uneasy and restless within him. See, it starts inside of us. Things were getting loud and things were going on inside that was no doubt causing problems on the outside and it was evident. He couldn’t ignore it any longer. But He knew the cure and the healer. So many don’t. He wouldn’t stay that way, He would talk himself out of it, talk to soul, remind himself of Who God was. We can recall what God has done in the past and know that He can do it again because He does not change or lose power. He would praise through. He would talk through. This is the same David who had lost so much and recovered all of it back in 1 Samuel 30.

v.6 - And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

We see again that the soul of all the people were grieved. What did David do? He encouraged himself in the Lord! He knew how to. It doesn’t say that the rest of the men did but because of one who did, and was willing to fight, they recovered back what was taken from them. That may mean something different to you. Maybe it’s your hope that you’ve lost or your sanity or something else. David had been through hard times before. He knew that this was the only cure, otherwise discouragement undealt with always leads straight down. He lifted himself up through encouraging himself.

I believe that there are times, as me and my mother have been recently talking about, when we can’t even pray. That is when we depend on the prayers of others and that is good as we’ve been discussing. That’s again, what we are supposed to do and be; his hands and feet. But, there are other times when we learn to pray and encourage ourselves when no one else will, or they don’t understand. It’s in those times when we must learn to pray and dig down deep, when we can’t depend on anyone else to. We must learn to encourage ourselves in the Lord and that’s usually when we don’t feel like it and nothing makes sense. We must know that the Shepherd is there even when we get lost and can’t see. That’s what He does, that’s Who He is. It caused David to fight and recover all and it’ll cause us to the same, because we serve the same Almighty God - The Same Source that remains the same! We were born to battle and born to fight. Fight through we must. We need our soul fully restored!

4- Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

    **** I won’t linger too much here because it’s easy to see that sometimes we go through scary, deep, and very dark unknown times of the outcome and the future. We know that He is already gone on to prepare, He is already there and going before us. His rod and staff comfort us. He is our comforter and very near and Present helper in troubled times. That’s encouraging and comforting to know. That’s the truth that we can hold onto! He cannot lie and every word of God is truth that we can depend on.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

That very same God David cried out to.

5- Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

     * We see it turning around here. We see in the beginning we acknowledge Him as our shepherd and we must first do this. We must know or we don’t know. Only God can cause our very enemies to stand in awe of the places that He will take us and what He will do for us in our time of need so that they will see. He can anoint and fill our cups to full and overflowing. Only He can so that we will be the testimony, light and blessing that He desires for us to be. We must acknowledge that He is our shepherd. He wants to save and guide. He wants to turn our trial into a testimony for all to see His power and goodness.

When we go through hard times, valleys, dark seasons and tunnels, it’s easy to focus on the dark and the fear of the unknown. But, we must purposefully and intently keep our focus on and turn our attention to the one Who loves us and created us. We have His very own Spirit residing in us. We must look to Him, acknowledging Him, fixing our thoughts and attention on Him, and trusting Him. We are His sheep. Sheep are very skittish animal, my daughter showed one in 4-H, so believe me I know. Though I only spent a short time doing it, I saw this. We tend to dart so quickly or so easily divert and turn our attention on what’s after us. Don’t run from Him, run to Him. The enemy comes to scatter. He comes to draw us back into safety, security and provision.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

6- Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. 

     * I’ll just leave this one right here. This is our hope. He is our hope, our living hope. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Hold onto Him, be still and know that He is God and He is good. He is holding onto us when we can’t seem to hold onto Him.

He is for us, He is with us forever and always. He dwells with-in us. 

Lyrics to “Stand In Your Love”:

When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
I won't be shaken, no, I won't be shaken

'Cause my fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love

Shame no longer has a place to hide
And I am not a captive to the lies
I'm not afraid to leave my past behind
Oh, I won't be shaken, no, I won't be shaken