He Restores.
Psalm 23:3 He Restores My Soul.
Psalm 23 in the Bible is this literary gem. It's so intimate and personal. I am in love with this Psalm & grateful to King David for sharing his experience....with us. David took so much time alone with God and knew with all of his soul that Christ would protect and restore his soul through every 'high high' and 'low low' in his life. And David lived on mountaintops but also in valleys that would terrorize the majority of us. But David knew God and knew that staying close to Him meant he was safe. Could someone kill him? Yes, but they couldn't ever kill his soul because that belonged and rested in Our Lord.
James McDonald wrote an article 'He Restores My Soul' in 2013 that I read often. I feel James perfectly elaborates on Psalm 23 and 'how' God restores our very souls. We all need restoration yet so many of us do not know how to 'accept' God's loving direction & restoration. All we really need to do is ask Him and then let Him move through us.
I have been in a season of deep restoration w/ Christ. And He has filled me with more and more tenderness as I rest into Him. I am amazed at how He will teach - prune - refine - grow - and yes, restore me when I simply surrender. I always envision Jesus moving like a current through my body - like a river -through my heart - my very soul. He is this constant source of love -grace -peace - correction - filling in the broken pieces of my heart with His light. And as a result, I have come to long for restoration from Him. I also realize that Godly restoration can ONLY come from Him........there is no other way to get 'true' restoration of the soul. And it's there for the taking which is astounding. It's a gift from Him to us.
I also notice that God restores me through prayer - His Word - His people. God is creative & mysterious while being boldly obvious in His Word. As long as I am seeking Him first - asking for restoration that only He can provide - then I feel safe moving forward in all areas of my life.
As James McDonald said, " Those who really know God, also know He “makes” us lie down sometimes. We’re not smart enough or willing enough to do many things for our own good. But our Shepherd will do what He needs to do to get us where we need to be—in green pastures—so He can restore our souls'.
All we have to do is invite God in. It's that simple. And the experience is life altering. If you are stuck, sad, lonely.....even if you are joyous & in a season of abundance, invite Him in and ask Him to restore your soul. And He will. He will again - again - and again. He is a Father who will always come after you - chase you - pursue you. You cannot really get lost. And knowing that alone restores us.
Below are photographs that illustrate restoration to me.
Psalm 23 in the Bible is this literary gem. It's so intimate and personal. I am in love with this Psalm & grateful to King David for sharing his experience....with us. David took so much time alone with God and knew with all of his soul that Christ would protect and restore his soul through every 'high high' and 'low low' in his life. And David lived on mountaintops but also in valleys that would terrorize the majority of us. But David knew God and knew that staying close to Him meant he was safe. Could someone kill him? Yes, but they couldn't ever kill his soul because that belonged and rested in Our Lord.
James McDonald wrote an article 'He Restores My Soul' in 2013 that I read often. I feel James perfectly elaborates on Psalm 23 and 'how' God restores our very souls. We all need restoration yet so many of us do not know how to 'accept' God's loving direction & restoration. All we really need to do is ask Him and then let Him move through us.
I have been in a season of deep restoration w/ Christ. And He has filled me with more and more tenderness as I rest into Him. I am amazed at how He will teach - prune - refine - grow - and yes, restore me when I simply surrender. I always envision Jesus moving like a current through my body - like a river -through my heart - my very soul. He is this constant source of love -grace -peace - correction - filling in the broken pieces of my heart with His light. And as a result, I have come to long for restoration from Him. I also realize that Godly restoration can ONLY come from Him........there is no other way to get 'true' restoration of the soul. And it's there for the taking which is astounding. It's a gift from Him to us.
I also notice that God restores me through prayer - His Word - His people. God is creative & mysterious while being boldly obvious in His Word. As long as I am seeking Him first - asking for restoration that only He can provide - then I feel safe moving forward in all areas of my life.
As James McDonald said, " Those who really know God, also know He “makes” us lie down sometimes. We’re not smart enough or willing enough to do many things for our own good. But our Shepherd will do what He needs to do to get us where we need to be—in green pastures—so He can restore our souls'.
All we have to do is invite God in. It's that simple. And the experience is life altering. If you are stuck, sad, lonely.....even if you are joyous & in a season of abundance, invite Him in and ask Him to restore your soul. And He will. He will again - again - and again. He is a Father who will always come after you - chase you - pursue you. You cannot really get lost. And knowing that alone restores us.
Below are photographs that illustrate restoration to me.