Dr. Robert C. McQuilkin once wrote, “The Lord is our Shepherd… He refreshes us when weary and encourages us when we are cast down.”
A “cast” sheep gets itself literally turned upside down. A cast sheep is a sad being, legs futilely flailing the air, gasses building up in the abdomen, blood circulation draining away from the extremities. It’s vulnerable to attack and unable to take food or water.
There’s an old shepherding maxim: “A down sheep is a dead sheep.” Cast sheep can perish in a matter of hours unless the shepherd finds them and restores them.
The Bible sometimes speaks of people as being “cast down.” In Psalm 42:5, David asked, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”
Are you cast down? Is your world upside down? Are you unable to right yourself? We so frequently need this tiny phrase of four words from Psalm 23:3: “He restores my soul.” The Hebrew word means to restore vitality, vigor, and strength. He reinvigorates me, He revives my strength. He gives us power in life’s trenches.
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