There are people that specialize in restoring old, broken, worn out things. Now did you know that our Lord specializes in that, too? He can restore anything – even broken lives!
One of the very encouraging phrases in the 23rd Psalm is, “He restores my soul.” Restoration is one of the great ministries of the Lord as our Shepherd. When we are tired and worn out – when we have fallen or failed – when we are simply exhausted with trying to “do it all,” Psalm 23:3 says the Shepherd “restores [your] soul.”
This word “restores,” is a Hebrew word that means “to come back,” or “to turn around.” It has the idea of returning to a former state or position. To restore is to turn something around, and bring it back to its original condition.
In his book, “A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm,” Phillip Keller tells of a condition among sheep called a “cast” sheep. He says, “This is an old English shepherd’s term for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself. A ‘cast’ sheep lies on its back, its feet in the air and flays away frantically struggling to stand up, without success…” Furthermore he says, “If the shepherd does not arrive on the scene within a reasonably short time, the sheep will die. It’s a serious condition for which the shepherd has a great concern.”
When we’re on our back, with limbs flaying in the air, the Lord has a great concern for us, too. When we call upon Him, He rolls us over, massages our limbs, and sets us on our feet again.
“He restores my soul…”
Say – are you on your back, kicking your legs? Let Jesus flip you over and get you on your feet again.