He Restores My Soul

He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters; He restores my soul…

Psalm 23:2-3

Years ago, I restored an old piece of furniture.  It was a solid wood dresser that my dad had built for me when I was a baby. It was just the right size and very sturdy, but it had been painted several times over the years with colors I would never choose again.  So, I began the process of stripping off the paint.  A lot of it came off with the first application of paint remover, and another application took off even more. I used sandpaper to remove the rest.  Once the old paint was completely removed, I stained it and we could finally use the beautifully finished product. It was a long process, but worth every moment!

            The Scripture about God restoring my soul came to mind after a time of walking away from the Lord and choosing my own way.  My soul — my mind, will and emotions — definitely needed to be restored.  I was confused and felt helpless to “fix” myself and my marriage. As I prayed and asked God to help me find my way back, He led me to a Christian counselor who was clearly His answer to my prayer.   The journey was long and painful, but even in the emotional pain, there was assurance that God was doing a work in me that would lead to emotional and spiritual healing. 

             The process that leads to restoration of a right relationship with God begins in our mind.  We are told in Romans 8:6-13 The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace…If by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  Just as layers of paint had to stripped away to restore my childhood dresser, so we have layers of “self” that need to be stripped away, sin that needs to be forgiven and cleansed in order to restore the beauty of the image of Christ in us. 

            Romans 12:2 instructs us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.  How is our mind renewed?  We must choose not to give into the temptations Satan offers us.  Instead, we need to focus on truth. I’ll never forget a retreat speaker who encouraged us to check out every thought that comes to mind.  She said, “Philippians 4:8 it.”  That verse says, Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind think about these things.  We are to check every thought against this standard, and if it doesn’t meet the qualifications, don’t think about it!  We would save ourselves so much grief and pain and sin if we would follow this guideline. 

            A right relationship with God is restored immediately as we confess our sins and receive His forgiveness.  Restoration of our soul — mind, will, and emotions — takes time.  Healing will come as we focus on the truth of God’s Word, not on feelings, not on what we think we need to make us happy. 

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Read Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

Is there an area of your life right now that needs to be restored? Have you been damaged by choices you have made yourself?  Have you been damaged by actions of someone else?

Ask the Lord to reveal the areas in your life that need to be restored.  Remember that the process of restoring your soul begins as you turn to the Lord and set your mind on His truth.  Trust Him to do the work in you to bring you back to a right relationship with Himself.