Quiet and Restored

 

"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..." Psalm 23: 1-3a

 

I love the imagery of this passage of Scripture. Lying down in green pasture shows a place of rest in God's provision.  Being led by quiet waters, allows me to satisfy my thirst in safety and tranquility, and then He does the ultimate...He restores my soul.  He brings it back to its former luster, to its peak condition.  Wow!

Life is full of seasons, some of  peace and some of tumult.  Times of hurting, and times of healing. Times of quiet and times of noise.  Times of stress and times of relaxation.  If there was not the antithesis to our hard times, we would all go insane!

Lately the Lord has been stretching me through a lot of stressful situations for which there seems to be no reprieve.  Since God  is not the author of confusion and disorder, I am continually try to find Him in the middle of what is happening and align myself with His outlook and His approach to problem-solving.  This occurs with varying degrees of success on my part.

When  the stresses of life begin to ravage my peace, I often find myself praying, "Lord, restore my soul."  I have been taught that our soul is our mind, will and emotions.  My spirit can be resting safely in God while my mind, will and emotions are being hammered by negative feelings such as anger, impatience, distrust and fear.  When I need an overhaul of my soul, there is only one place to turn.  God is the only one who can bring rest to a frenzied mind.   He is the only one who can speak peace to the storms of my life.  He is the only one who can satisfy my thirst for more of Him, while protecting me from my own feelings of desperation.

God is  still God in the dark night of our soul.  He is still loving and powerful when others are hateful and thoughtless. He is gentle and tender when life is harsh and abrasive.

We all face opposition, trials and struggles.  Some are without- brought on by other people or circumstances.  Others are within- brought on by our own weaknesses and fears.  It matters not.  Either way, he is the God of restoration. 
I join the psalmist in my cry, "Yes, my  soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him." (Psalm 62:5)

Dear Lord, thank you that you have made provision for my every need- spiritual, physical, emotional and material.  Restore my soul, O God.  Quiet my soul and grant me rest, for my hope is in You.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri