Articles
He Restores My Soul
He Restores My Soul
David was a man after God’s own heart. Because of his faith in God he slayed giants, he defeated armies, and he led a nation as king. Then David made a mistake. In his idleness and weakness, he coveted what didn’t belong to him which led to adultery and eventually murder. Upon faithful rebuke from the prophet Nathan, David repented wholeheartedly and had his relationship with God restored.
As a human prone to weakness, David understood the need for God to restore his creation. But as a shepherd, David also understood the desire to restore his sheep. As sheep start out in the morning to graze, each one takes a definite place in line and holds that place throughout the day. However it is also very common for a sheep to leave his place in line and trot over to the shepherd. The good shepherd will then gently run his ears and nose and softly whisper reassurance into the ear of the sheep. Encouraged, the sheep reassumes its place in line again.
All of us from time to time leave our place in line. And when we do, we become unhappy and the burden of guilt becomes so heavy that we need reassurance. And so we repent, God hears and forgives, and through restoration we become a new man.
That God restores the soul can never be undervalued or overstated. Sin brings sorrow that leave us with wounds that cut deeply. As long as we keep the wound clean by not allowing bitterness, resentment, and self-pity to infect it, the Great Physician, our Shepherd, can heal our wound and restore our soul. Just as God created man by breathing life into his nostrils so that he became a living soul, God not only has the power but has the willingness to breathe a new breath of life into one who is lost.
