The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
My idea of restoration has been seemingly beset by a new understanding. As I've read through this set of scripture before, there was an overtone of a selfish fog. A picturesque moment of a strong shepherding rod in view, the greenest green pastures, and me sitting still soaking it all in. I'm quite certain, embarassingly, that I've sighed out loud before reading this psalm. But this picture, this idea that I had was lacking a serious insight of restoration. While the visuals of still waters and green pastures most certainly conjure calming notions, verse four has set my mind at a different perspective. "He restores my soul." That truth, is heavy. How does restoration happen? We continue to read on and the psalmist says, "He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." He is restoring by leading me in places where I must trust, where faith must be pure, lest I hope in vain. He restores by fulfilling his promises, making his glory known through reconstructing a life, which was dead to sin, to walk in newness of life. So the weight of those still waters I pass by, is much heavier than before. For when the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want. He is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.
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