He Restores My Soul

The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.  He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. HE RESTORES MY SOUL! Psalm 23:1-2

Life can be hectic sometimes.  So many obligations that you barely have enough time for yourself.  Eventually you find yourself completely drained with nothing left to give.  It is times like these that I am thankful that I have a Shepherd.  Psalm 23 is a scripture that most of us learned as a child.  We may have had to repeat it before a meal or before bedtime but didn't really know the meaning of the words we spoke.  It wasn't until recently that I came to really know and appreciate a God who can supply all my needs.  I can rest and lie down in green pastures with calm contentment.  With the waves of life beating up against the rocks, I can still find still waters.  A place of peace and serenity.  Trouble all around but with God as your Shepherd you can find a calm, peaceful place in your mind where you can find rest.  With God your external circumstances don't have to change for your outlook to change.  You don't have to move from where you are in order to for things to change.  When you are 'beside the still waters' you can let the Lord work those things out for you. 

And not only that, He restores your soul.  During those times when you are mentally drained, He refreshes your spirit.  He gives you hope to run on a little while longer.  How does He do this? Just take a walk through the Word of God. It does wonders to restore the Christian's soul.  Verse after verse reminded us of His goodness.  His faithfulness.  How He gives us a generous portion of His grace and mercy.  He tell us to cast our cares on Him for He cares about us.  Give Him all of Your burdens because He can handle them and actually do something about them.  Then think about the people that He has placed in your life that encourage you daily.  When times are rough you know that you can go to this person and ask them to pray for you and you have no doubt in your mind that they will.  There are also those times when you don't ask and you may be having a bad day and all of a sudden you feel better.  That may be because someone whispered a prayer for you unaware.  They didn't know what you were going through but you popped into their mind and they felt a sudden urge to pray. So they did and your soul was restored. 

Life will knock you down sometimes but with God's help you can get back up again.  Refreshed and renewed.  Let God be your Shepherd.  Let Him be the first person you go to to meet your needs.  Ask Him.  He has everything that you need. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being my Shepherd.  Thank you for guiding me to greener pasture and still waters.  Thank You for access to Your Word that restores my soul.  Thank You for those You have placed in my life to encourage me and lift me up in prayer.  Even in the presence of my enemies you provide for me and I thank You.  Thank you for being faithful.  I will forever give your name the praise.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.