Restore My Soul
/“He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3
As I sit in paradise listening to the birds, the ocean waves, and feel the warm breeze, the cares of daily life vanish from my thoughts. Why does it take getting away to slow down our thoughts? I believe it is because we do not rest daily in God`s presence. We attempt to control and fix and figure things out on our own.
The words I heard on my morning run on the beach was “I restore your soul.” Nothing in this world restores us. We are refreshed by a vacation. Renewed in worship. Relaxed with a massage or nap.
To restore is to bring back, to return to a former condition, to repair. God created us in His image and to live in His constant presence. God rejoices and sings over us and delights in us. Sin separated us from our Creator and God wants to restore us to our original relationship with Him.
But when life is hard and the waves of life beat hard against the shoreline of our lives, we wonder where God is and sometimes become angry with what life has dealt us. We attempt to go alone and fix our own lives. We find other things to be the center of life - other people, work, sports, our home, but not God. We do not leave God totally out, but we do not trust Him to take care of our every need. We believe but we are not restored.
Restore is to admit that we cannot figure out how to find peace and contentment in this broken world by ourselves. It is allowing God to have control of every aspect of our lives, and be restored to how God originally created us to be which is in His constant presence. It is being forgiven through His grace and living as loved and forgiven children.
To be restored is living in the light of Jesus not the darkness of this world. It is focusing on the present and living in each moment. It is seeing the relationship with Jesus as most important not the tasks of life. It is living in the gift of the moment not worrying about the future and what could happen. It is being thankful for the past experiences and relationships. Our souls are restored in breathing in the Spirit of God and allowing His breath to fill you with His peace, presence, power, and stillness. Our souls are restored through the Holy Spirit that dwells within you.
