Dear Ones:
David in essence calls Him, the “Restorer of our souls.” (Ps. 23:3) In Joel 2:25, the Lord tells Israel: “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.” And then, in a very sad passage, the Lord says: “But this is people robbed and spoiled…and none saith, ‘Restore.'” (Is. 42:22) What does “restore” mean? From a spiritual standpoint, it is a bringing back in mind and heart to a right relationship with God, back to the point where the life is lived by FAITH. When David speaks of the restoring of the soul, he speaks of the bringing of the heart and soul of the believer again to the point, where the Spirit of God can reveal to him, or to her, His peace and assurance, Christ’s presence and blessing. The word “restore” implies a deviation from one’s position. In this case, it is that departure for one reason or another from that place of faith, wholly in Christ, where the Lord by His Spirit can minister His Life in and through the individual. To be restored is to be brought back into the sunshine of God’s presence and blessing, where He again is free to reveal Himself to the soul.
Why is this concept so very important? In the context in which we live, where faith is assailed, and temptation abounds, the soul can so very easily begin to trust in something, someone, other than Christ. The result is that “emptiness” begins to seep into the soul. There seems to be a loss of ground with regard to purpose and power in living. Instead of the greatness and goodness of God filling our hearts and minds, we are overwhelmed by the need, and the effects of sin all around us. It is at this point that the Lord begins to work in us to REMEMBER. When the prodigal son was in the far country, dissatisfied and alone, he “remembered” his father’s house. When Jonah was in the belly of the fish, being brought to the end of himself, he “…remembered the Lord.” (Jon. 2:7) The first step in being brought back BY the Restorer of our souls is to remember. When, in the book of the Revelation, the Lord was addressing the church at Ephesus, who had “left its first love,” He said, “…Remember…from whence thou art fallen.” The first step to being restored is to remember. The second step is to repent, change our way of thinking, and turn from that which is not of God.
David tells us that the context in which God restores our souls is “…in green pastures, beside still waters.” (Ps. 23:2) The Lord does not shout at us, but leads us. He makes us to be still in order to see, understand, and respond to the overtures of His heart. When we are willing to respond in faith, He is willing to restore our souls. To put it very simply, we refer to the words of the Lord through Zechariah to Israel: “‘Turn ye unto Me,’ saith the Lord of hosts, ‘…and I will turn unto you.'” (Zech. 1:3) The restoration of our souls can be a very quick thing, or a prolonged matter. It all depends upon whether we are willing to let Him have His way with us. There is none that desires to restore us to that place of fellowship and blessing more than Christ. It was in great measure for this that He died.
Lord Jesus, Thou great Restorer of our souls, restore us fully unto Thee, where there is no cloud, no hesitation, and no reservation in our devotion to Thee. Restore us to the consciousness of the sunshine of Thy face and fellowship with Thee, enabling us to walk in the light as Thou art in the light, accomplishing all of Thy perfect purposes in and through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Love, Dad