Friday,
March 6, 2020
HE RESTORETH MY SOUL!
Ps
23:2-3
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.
One scholar clarifies this
beautifully in the following quote. “It
refers to the spirit when exhausted, weary, or sad; and the
meaning is, that God quickens or vivifies the spirit when thus exhausted. The
reference is not to the soul as wandering or backsliding from God, but to the
life or spirit as exhausted, wearied, troubled, anxious, worn down with
care and toil. The heart, thus exhausted, He re-animates. He brings
back its vigor. He encourages it; excites it to new effort; fills
it with new joy.
(From Barnes' Notes)
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, certainly knows how to deal with us during times of our
backsliding but this is not the case here. Because He is the Good
Shepherd, He also knows how to mend us when we are broken. When
the disciples wanted to press forward – He said rest. When
burdened down with care, we are urged to cast our cares on Him because He cares
for us.
Often, in the midst of urgent labor, He will “make” us, or force us, to lie down in green
pastures. Thus, lying on the soft green earth, chewing contentedly, we are able
to separate the urgent from the truly important.
Dear Lord, today a thousand voices
will cry out for my attention. One of those voices will be your very own. Help
me to hear you when you speak. Today, Lord, restore my soul. AMEN
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