Restoration, Refresh, and Repair

"He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake " 

~ Psalm 23:3

restoreth =refresh, repair

As I read this I begin to think of furniture/building restoration.

When someone restores furniture or a building, they often have to tear apart first. They must get back down to the "bones" of the piece. From there, they can rebuild.

It might take sanding off layers of paint, or ripping out drywall and getting to the studs, or reinforcing a weak floor. None of those things are easy, but they are necessary to redeem the integrity of the piece and make it sound and beautiful

God does the same with us. Sometimes He needs to sand off the layers of lies we have believed or the sin we have allowed to take over like mold. Sometimes He needs to rip out things we thought were important so they can be replaced by better things. Sometimes we need to be reminded of truth to reinforce a weak soul. These are paths we may not want to go down, but He leads us down them so we can be restored. He will receive the glory for our restoration! We care His craftmanship!

Will you allow God to restore/refresh/repair your soul?

Discipline, Guide, and Protect

 Psalms 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

It doesn't matter where we are in life, God is always with us. We might literally be in a very dangerous place, or it may be that we are mentally in a bad place, either way, God is with us.

Psalm 27 asks who should we be afraid of if God is with us. 

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 Should we even fear our own thoughts?

God is our strength and guide. The purpose of the rod and staff is for discipline, guidance, and protection. God's ways are all those for us. His commands are not meant to make life hard for us, but to protect and guide us and when needed, discipline us. We should take comfort in the knowledge that God loves us enough to desire to do all that for us. Just as our children know that we love them by giving them guidelines and limits, so must we feel towards God.

Paths of Righteousness

 Psalms 23:3

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

At first glance, one gets the impression that "restoreth" mean a refreshing. While that may be the case here, it is important to look at how God restores our souls.

When we look at the original Hebrew and the meaning of the word, we see that it means to turn back to God, to repent, to come back to a dying relationship. We have a tendency to wander, but God draws us back to Him!

He leads us down the right paths-the paths that lead to Him and the blessing He has for us. When we follow Him and His commands, we can't go wrong. At times it may seem like we are going on the wrong path because it isn't the way everyone else is going, but God's paths always lead to righteousness and His blessings!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

 Proverbs 25:15 KJV

By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

When I was young, I was taught a rhyme to say to myself (and sometimes others) when they would say mean things.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

Even though I would say this, I never truly believed it. Words can hurt and sometimes for many years. They can break us even if they are said gently. Words have power. Use them wisely.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

 

Proverbs 24:27 KJV

Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

Today I would like to view this scripture in light of marriage. Before one can be ready to build their house (ie: get married), they must know who they are in Christ. If you are dealing with any issues emotionally or spiritually, deal with those before trying to move on where those issues can affect others.

Still Waters

 Psalms 23:2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Green pastures give the idea of abundance and complete provision. I find it interesting that it is a place where God "makes" us lie down. Why wouldn't it be something we wanted to do?

Still waters give a feeling of peace and tranquility. I learned something interesting about sheep and water that really helps bring understanding to this part of the verse.

Sheep can not drink from rough waters. Their nostrils are so close to their mouth that the water would choke them if it was bubbling up when they tried to drink. Still waters is a necessity.

In the same way, peace is a necessity for us. God is gracious enough to pour His peace on us. When we follow Him, we can experience true peace.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

 

 Proverbs 23:13 KJV

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

It is our job as parents to discipline our children. It is up to us to correct bad behavior. Sometimes that may mean spanking, but it does not mean to cause harm. When we do it, it is our goal to turn them from the  bad road they are on. We want them to experience God's best for them.

Psalm 23

In his commentary of Psalm 23, Matthew Henry wrote of verse one:

I shall be supplied with whatever I need, and if I have not every thing I desire, I may conclude it is either not fit for me or not good for me, or I shall have it in due time.

Oh, that I would have this perspective! Many times I have acted as a spoiled brat when I didn't get what I wanted, when I wanted it. Oh, Father, forgive me for all those times!

I should rest in knowing that God is a good shepherd and will take care of all I need, when I need it. I can rest in His perfect timing and perfect provisions. I can have peace that when I don't get something I desire, that there is good reason for it.

The Lord is my Shepherd

 Psalms 23:1 KJV

<<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

At first read, one would see this as not wanting a shepherd-a guide, a protector, a provider. This understanding fits  how people usually are. We want to be in control. We want to be independent. We want to say we did something on our own.

Another rendering is that with the Lord as our Shepherd, we shall never be in want of anything because He provides and takes care of all. This understanding also fits as it follows God's character.

No matter which way you choose to understand this scripture, both are true.

For far too long, I have lived believing the first and fighting against God wanting to protect me, provide for me, and take care of me. 

God led me to Psalm 23 at the beginning of this month and although I have read it every day and am working on memorizing it, I have decided to dig in and look closely at each verse. I know there is much here that I miss with just reading it and not studying it.

Unity and Peace

 Ephesians 4:1-6 KJV

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

As I read this passage, I was struck by how much Christians are not living this way. My biggest stressors during all this covid mess is the disunity among the nation and how Christians are treating one another. 

We are to walk worthy of being called Christ followers. This means we are to walk as Chirst would have walked. 

We are to humble ourselves, be gentle and have patience as we endure (and help others endure) these hard times.

We are called to be in unity and peace. Yet, it doesn't seem like God's people are even striving for unity. Have we forgotten what we are called to do?