“He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3
God is about the business of saving us! How awesome is that! He has done…is doing…will do all that is required to save me and that is a work I could never accomplish myself.
Many of you may have read my friend Matt’s replies to the previous posts. While Matt’s comments focus on the work that is already accomplished in eternity, our verse here is focusing on the work that the Lord is currently doing within time.
“He restores my soul”, that is…my mind, my will and my emotions! Hallelujah! I am so grateful to a God who restores my mind. He is at work within me ridding me of all my “stinkin’ thinkin'” as Joyce Meyers calls it.
I have been a Christian for thirty some years and in that time God has transformed my thinking progressively on many matters. I present my thinking to Him daily and His Spirit transforms me by the renewing of my mind. Every time I pick up His Word I am challenged and my thinking is changed by increments. I have noticed that as my thinking changes so does the way I behave. As He restores my soul so He repairs my broken behavior!
So am I already changed or am I being changed? According to the Bible both are true. I guess understanding that is one of the restorations God has to make to my mind! 🙂
Reinventing the We'll 
This reminds me of something my pastor used to say . . .but I can’t remember how to say it like he did. haha! Something about being thankful that we are not who we were, but also thankful that we are not all we will be yet. Love that ending statement, Pastor J! Praying for much needed restoration of my mind each day too. (obviously needed by my poor attempts here! haha~)
God bless you in all the nows and all the tomorrows!
He does and will bless I know Debbie! Oh and I understood you perfectly 🙂
Oh, Pastor J, this is so true of my life. God is working on getting rid of my “stinking thinking” as well. God amazes me in that He always knows the exact verses I need just for that day. It is such a comfort to know that if we continue to draw near to Him, He will always draw near to us. I pray that God helps me to take every thought captive as He renews my mind. Praying that God renews all of our minds each and every day. Thank you, Pastor J, you are such a blessing to the body of Christ.
Thanks Debby! I am grateful He knows our hearts and builds us into the image He created us to be. That is much better than the image in our minds!
I actually agree with every word that you wrote in your post J! yeah!:)
For me, one of the major ways that God is at work within me is by changing my “stinkin’ thinkin” as well. Areas where my perception of myself and most especially about God is just so wrong. I guess that’s why having one’s mind renewed is so important.
As you so eloquently put it, “I have noticed that as my thinking changes so does the way I behave. As He restores my soul so He repairs my broken behavior!”
(I wasn’t trying to imply that progressive change isn’t consistently happening…it most certainly does!)
I am glad we agree Matt. When we all get to Heaven we are all going to have “Aha!” moments as what we see “through the glass darkly now” comes into sharper focus. In the mean time I am grateful the Holy Spirit has such power to bring truth to this jar of clay I dwell in!
Both changed and changing. I love that. He is indeed in the repair business!
Indeed He is in the repair business. We are so blessed! Thanks for stopping by!
I keep coming back to this blog it really has touched my spirit so deeply. I grew up without a father and never hearing the words “Daddy will make everything ok”. But these words, “He restores my soul.” brings such comfort to me for my Father in heaven is saying I will make everything ok. Thank you, God, for being my Father.
How blessed are we Deb that Abba Father knows aand meets every need?!
I need no more verification of “He restores my soul” than to look back over the 53 years I have known, loved and served Him – over the 53 years of CHANGE. As I look back, I am amazed at what HE has accomplished, of the changes HE has made in me. He has certainly done a great work of restoration, giving me spiritual beauty for ashes.
But then I look at Christ and think of Ephesians 4:13 and consider that I am supposed to be becoming Christlike – that God is molding me into His image – and I realise that He has soooooooooooooooooooo much more work to do in “restoring my soul”
Thankfully, He is still at work and I have complete confidence that He will continue the work He has begun and one day – through absolutely NO work of mine – He will present me faultless.
So true Angela. I am so glad it is not my work. I have had momentary glimpses of how far I have to go and I know I could never cross the distance. But He can and He carries me and has for thirty years. I am blessed by your testimony that this truth never changes even fifty years in!
God’s been speaking this line lately to my spirit. “I am restoring you to your original design, the way I formed you in your mother’s womb.” But i am thankful that in restoring me, He sees me in my original design through the blood of Jesus even though i am clearly not walking out the original design perfectly.
Isn’t it neat Angela that God sees us through the lens of the blood. He sees what we are in real time, what we are in Christ, and what we will become. Nothing we experience comes as a surprise because HE was and is and is to come! It all just kind of blows my mind!