He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Ps 23:3 (NKJV)
PSALM 23 – DAY 3
God is the one who restores our soul. There are many things on this earth that we can engage in, eat, do, take, etc. to try and bring restoration to the weariness and heaviness that life drips, or floods, into our souls. But it is only God who can do a complete restorative work within our lives.
And He cares about our souls – what makes us human, our personality and character – just as much as He cares about our spirit and body.
He is interested in what fills our hearts and what flows from it, and He alone has the tools and the understanding to repair and restore it. So brew a cup of tea, go get a massage, BUT FIRSTLY look to Jesus to bring restoration to your soul.
As He restores He also leads. There are paths of righteousness… Spurgeon in his “Treasury of David” talks about the fact that we are led by the love of God down ALL His paths – not just the ones we want to.
We are led down the path of forgiveness as we experience God forgiving us, but He also wants to lead us down the path of forgiving were we forgive others… and it’s funny how when we follow Him down every path He leads, the following in and of itself fosters our restoration.
The paths always lead to and are marked with righteousness – which is being in ‘right standing’ with God, a position that Jesus bought for us on the cross. It’s not about perfection. The fact that He does this for us – restores and leads continuously – is a fulfilment of who He is.
I always thought ‘for His name’s sake’ meant that, for the sake of His glory and reputation, He leads and restores… but He leads and restores because it’s the fulfilment of His name and who He is – God fulfils Himself by fulfilling you and me.
So be restored, and be led. God can’t help but do both…
