Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "He Restores My Soul" Thursday, 3 April 2014 - Read Psalm 23

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "He Restores My Soul" Thursday, 3 April 2014 - Read Psalm 23: A Psalm by David.
1 Yahweh is my shepherd:
    I shall lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
    He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
    He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil.
    My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,
    and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.--World English Bible
David wrote, “[The Lord] leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”--Psalm 23:2-3 (NRSV)
Many times, King David, the writer of Psalm 23, needed to have his soul restored — to have life put back into him. When Saul was chasing David and threatening to kill him, God restored David’s courage and confidence. During those days of grief after David lost his son Absalom in death, God restored his soul. When David sinned with Bathsheba and felt the heavy hand of God on him as a result, God restored his soul also restored relationship with him. In this psalm, that relationship is depicted as a shepherd with his sheep. When a sheep has lots of wool and falls over onto its side, it is very difficult for it to get up again. After a few hours, the sheep’s stomach will expand with gases and eventually compress its lungs. If the shepherd doesn’t intervene to restore the sheep to an upright position and then massage its legs to restore circulation, the sheep will soon die. In a similar way, when sins or trials put us flat on our backs, overwhelming us with grief and despair, it takes a shepherd to restore our souls. As we pray, read and meditate on scripture, and fellowship with other believers, our Shepherd reassures us with his grace and mercy and gives us back our strength, joy, and courage.
The Author: Andy Baker (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: When our trials drain us of hope and strength, the Great Shepherd can restore our souls to life.
Prayer: Dear Lord, our Shepherd, thank you for hearing our cries of helplessness and for restoring us to life and relationship with you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Shepherds
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