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Imagine the Good Shepherd picking up cast sheep. The tenderness, the love, the patience that He used to restore Peter’s soul after the terrible tragedy of his temptations is a classic picture of the Christ coming to restore one of His own.
In the Christian life, there is great danger in always looking for the easy place, the cozy corner, the comfortable position where there is no hardship, no need for endurance, no demand upon self-discipline.
There are men and women who, because they may have done well in business or in their careers or in their homes, feel that they are flourishing and have “arrived.” The time when we think “we have it made,” so to speak, is actually when we are in mortal danger. Often, when we are most sure of ourselves, we are the most prone to fall flat. (Consider what we can learn from Jim Collins’ study on How the Mighty Fall.)
God’s Power in Life’s Trenches
He Restores from Sin
We sheep become “cast down” for many reasons. Often the guilt and consequences of our sins cast us down.
Former Holocaust survivor and Christian teacher Corrie Ten Boom claimed that when God throws our sins into the depths of the sea, He posts a sign saying: “No Fishing Allowed!”
As the Casting Crowns’ song based on Psalm 103:12 puts it, our sins are cast from us as far as east is from west!
When the Psalmist said, “He restores my soul,” he meant, “He restores me. He restores my emotional and spiritual well-being. He restores my spirits. He restores my sense of confidence and usefulness in life. He restores the joy of my fellowship with God.”
The word restores is present tense. It’s something God does now—immediately.
He Restores from Stress
Like sin, stress can leave us “cast down” by sapping our attitudes and energy.
When nineteenth-century Anglican priest and missionary Henry Martyn felt God’s calling him to become an overseas missionary, he was deeply troubled at the thought of leaving his home, church, and loved ones, probably never to see them again in this life.
Here’s what he scribbled in his diary on February 8, 1805: “Began my farewell sermon… I came to God, having no plea but His own mercy in Christ, and found the Lord to be gracious, plenteous in goodness and truth, for He restored my soul in good measure. The subject of God’s promises…was exceedingly animating to me.”
During times of stress, God restores us with His almighty presence and animating promises.
He Restores from Sorrow
Our lives are full of loss, so we’re often cast down in times of sorrow. Many of us have experienced losing our youthful vigor to the aging process, or foregoing assets to economic ruin, losing our loved ones to death, our health to disease, our hopes to disappointments. Everything we have on earth will eventually be lost, and loss brings grief.
Were it not for the Good Shepherd who continually restores our souls, where would we be?
If you’re cast down from sin, stress, or sorrow, turn toward the Shepherd. Trust Him with all your heart. He gives us power in life’s trenches. He gives grace in the gullies. The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He restores our souls.
The Burden of Hopelessness
Can you sense, just for a moment, how it feels to be out of your element? Out of solutions? Out of ideas and energy? Can you imagine how it feels to be out of hope?
If you can, you can relate to many people in this world.
What would it take to restore your hope?
- A person who knows the way out.
- Some vision, and someone to lift your spirits. Someone who looks you in the face and says, “This isn’t the end. Don’t give up. There is a better place than this. And I’ll lead you there.”
- Direction. If you have a person but no renewed vision, all you have is company. If he has a vision but no direction, you have a dreamer for company. But if you have a person with direction—who can take you from this place to the right place—then you have one who can restore your hope.
Or, to use David’s words, “He restores my soul.” Your Shepherd majors in restoring hope to the soul. Your Shepherd knows you were not made for this place. He knows you are not equipped for this place. So he has come to guide you out. He has come to restore your soul.
Jesus doesn’t give hope by changing our circumstances; He restores our hope by giving us Himself.
What a great reminder that Jesus Christ promised to be with us “to the very end of the age…”
We need that reminder. We all need that reminder. For all of us need hope.
Credits:
A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller
The Lord is My Shepherd by Robert J. Morgan
Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23 by Max Lucado