In meditating about the Lord, David’s comment in Psalm 23:3, “He restores my soul” speaks a mouthful about how the Lord brings you to a settled and restored state of mind. The word used for restores (shoob in Hebrew) is a big word. It connotes a returning to the starting point; to recover, refresh, relieve, rescue, retrieve, return, reverse, reward.
It reminds me of the word, reset; not necessarily from a material or time standpoint, but to reset order; bring to a new state. It speaks of being refreshed, healed; restored to begin anew. In a way, it speaks of starting every day with a clean slate.
RELEVANCE
Jeremiah sensed a similar refreshing of God. While he struggled daily to reconcile Israel’s poverty of spirit, he was refreshed daily by God’s grace. Hear him rehearse God’s faithfulness in Lamentations 3:22-26.
“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.”
God’s grace truly is new every morning. He refreshes us through the Holy Spirit. The early disciples experienced “times of refreshing from the Lord” (Acts 3:19) and so can you!
REFLECT AND RELATE
How do you allow the Lord to refresh you?
What new and good things do you see ahead?
REFERENCES
Isaiah 42:9; 43:19