Where do you turn when you feel worn down or worn out by the worries of life? Maybe your calendar feels so hectic that you couldn’t pull it all off even if you cloned yourself. Or maybe you’re in a quieter season, but your concerns about loved ones or the future or your circumstances are still clamoring loudly in your mind. When our souls feel depleted, we have a good Shepherd who restores our souls with rest and refreshment.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:2–3)
We saw last week in Psalm 23:1 that we have a caring Shepherd who provides everything we need. In these verses, we learn that our Shepherd gives us rest, refreshment, restoration, and righteousness.
The Hebrew word translated “restore” means to turn back or return. Our souls were originally created for communion with God, but our relationship with our Creator has been ruined by sin. The good news of these verses is that our Shepherd has returned our soul to the fellowship it was created for, bringing us back into relationship with Himself.
Although David penned these words centuries before Jesus walked the earth, we learn from John 10 that these verses find their fulfillment in our incarnate Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He is the door of the sheep and if “anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:7, 9).
What do sheep do in the pasture? They rest. They eat. Maybe they even enjoy the company of other sheep. They are safe in the protection of the Shepherd as He provides the rest and refreshment they need.
We can rest because Jesus our Shepherd laid down His life for us. He refreshes our weary hearts with His love, grace, and mercy. He restores our soul with His Word. He guides His sheep as we grow in righteousness for His glory.
No matter what you face this week, your Shepherd will give you rest, refreshment, restoration, and righteousness.
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