HE RESTORES MY SOUL

 Psalm 23:1-3  A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

 I love Psalm 23.  This psalm reminds me that the Lord is my shepherd, and that I should not be in a state of want.  In other words, because He is the One leading and guiding me, going before me and walking behind me, I want nothing, I need nothing.  This psalm assures us that our Shepherd will always be there to take care of us.

Part of this assurance is that the Lord, as our Shepherd, will lead us to green pastures and quiet waters.  We usually relate “green pastures” to provisions in our life, just as the pastures were where the sheep ate and had their fill.  The “quiet waters” where our Shepherd leads us is also where our thirst is quenched.  So, in other words, just as the physical needs of the sheep are met, so are ours.  That is how faithful our Shepherd is.

And then verse 3 says “He restores my soul”.

So, not only does the Lord take care of our green pastures and quiet waters, He also makes sure that our souls are restored.

But I would like to share with you another view of verses 2 to 3.

A number of versions (ESV and NASB) have a period after each statement:

          He makes me lie down in green pastures.

          He leads me beside quiet waters.

          He restores my soul.

So, each statement is a separate declaration of the faithfulness of our Shepherd.

The NIV 1984 version prints it this way:

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

 It’s one statement, with a comma separating each statement.  In other words they’re connected.  The green pastures and quiet waters are meant to restore our soul.

What this means to me is this – when our Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures, and leads us to quiet waters, it’s for the satisfaction of our soul, and not the physical satisfaction of our life.

 So, if we follow this structure of the sentence, the green pastures and quiet waters, where our Shepherd leads us, are not necessarily the physical and material needs that our bodies are looking for.  As I mentioned a while back, we usually think of green pastures and quiet waters as that which will feed us, provide for us.

But the green pastures and quiet waters where the Lord leads us are meant to restore our souls.

Physical and material needs do not restore our souls – they restore our physical bodies.

Only spiritual things satisfy our soul.

And so, if only spiritual things can satisfy our soul, then the green pastures and quiet waters where our Shepherd leads us to are not the earthly, material things that we look for. 

There are green pastures and quiet waters that satisfy our soul.  And they have nothing to do with physical or material things.

Take a look at what these passages of Scripture tell us:

Psalms 16:11 NIV  You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

 Psalms 4:7 NIV  You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

 Psalms 19:7-8 NIV  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  (8)  The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

 Ephesians 1:3 NIV  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

 These are green pastures and quiet waters where the Lord leads us to – a source of joy, giving a light to our eyes that this world cannot give, a blessed life that this found in Christ.

 What an important aspect of God’s work as a Shepherd we need to take to heart.  We usually seek a restoration from the Lord  through His leading us to earthly or worldly pastures and waters, physical and material needs.  We wait for the Lord’s working in our life, His blessings, His answer to prayers, meeting our desires, for us to be restored.  But these things satisfy us physically, and temporarily.  Physical and material things do not restore our soul.  Only spiritual things restore our soul.

I’m not saying that our Shepherd will not take care of our physical and material needs – because He does!  But these are not  the “green pastures and quiet waters” that the Lord leads us to for our soul to be restored.

 Is this where we are following our Shepherd to – the green pastures and quiet waters that satisfy our soul?  Or are we still waiting for Him to lead us to the pastures and waters that will just satisfy us physically, and that will eventually wear out?

It is our soul that needs restoration.  Follow your Shepherd there.