The Lord restores my soul
I am amazed that the God of the universe cares for my little soul so tenderly that he wants to restore it. My head has been whirling as I prepare to move at the start of June but last week I walked beside the streams at Isabella Plantation and thanked God for how his creation restores my soul. Too often I rush on but he keeps bringing me back to this line of Psalm 23 - “The Lord restores my soul.”
What do those five words mean to you? Do you think of the still waters of Psalm 23? Or how the Lord makes us lie down and rest? He is no slave driver.
Or do you think of the big picture? Restoration is the grand gospel story in which miracles are not unnatural; they restore what should be, bringing justice and wholeness and life.
“The Lord restores my soul” – it will take eternity to unpack those words but here are a few thoughts. I hope you will find that one of them is for you.
RESTORES: RE-STORES
Did anyone else find that lockdown turned the fridge into a black hole? How did those kitchen cupboards empty so fast? I dread to think how many boxes of cereal the Patterson lads consumed.
Lockdown emptied the store cupboards – physically but also spiritually and emotionally. It has left many zoom-weary, struggling to find our pzazz. We need re-storing.
Free of charge, unlike those endless online grocery shops; God promises to fill you completely with joy and peace as you trust in him, to re-store you until you overflow (Romans 15:13).
RESTORES: RETURNS OR BRINGS BACK
I loved discovering that the Hebrew word for restore has the same root as the word for return. It speaks of the Lord returning our souls to himself. The Good Shepherd restores the lost sheep to the flock. If you feel far away or lost today, will you let him carry you on his shoulders back home?
RESTORES: REPAIRS
Jesus was a carpenter, who made and mended things. He still does. He mends broken hearts and repairs damaged lives. He doesn’t do a bodge job like I do with gaffer tape and cover-ups. He doesn’t give up like half-way through. He came to seek and save what was lost, to restore us to his likeness and he will persevere until the job is done. That’s the gospel – God wants to restore you.
RESTORE; PUT BACK IN THE RIGHT POSITION
As lockdown unlocks, it was sheer joy to have a dear friend at our supper table INSIDE with us last night, (especially as it was hailing outside!) It was a restoration of how things should be. God’s restoration ends at the table, at a feast with friends and family. That’s how Psalm 23 ends, that’s how the story of the Prodigal son ends, that’s how the story of Scripture ends.
Where do you see yourself? Inside or outside? Sometimes I give room to the lie that I am not invited in but Psalm 23 tells us that the Lord prepares a table for me. Can you begin to envisage the table that the Lord has prepared for you? Restoration means joining the party. God wants to restore you.
RESTORES: RESTORIES
I love the idea from 24/7 prayer that God re-stories us. He takes our stories with all their twists and turns and gives us a new ending. We are not bound by the old narratives of despair; we are promised hope. We know that our story will end in joy. Think of the most joyous moments of your life. That’s where you are heading. That’s restoration.
I am sure there are many more treasures to be found in this one line from Psalm 23 and would love to hear what it means for you to say, “The Lord restores my soul.”
