He Refreshes and Restores His Sheep
What a Shepherd we have in the great I AM, the Lord Jesus Christ, that He would love and care for us so much.
Everyone loves the 23rd Psalm because it has comforted countless people since its writing. Here, we see God’s provision, protection, and presence in the believer’s life. Every line points to a profound truth.
David doesn’t just celebrate the gifts but exalts the Giver, his Shepherd, who is actively involved in his life.
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, he meets my needs. I have confidence not in what I have but in who I follow. It is all about what the Shepherd is doing. He makes me lie down. He leads me. The Shepherd is with me, protecting and guiding me. He comforts me and chases my fear away.
He
Today we look at “He restoreth my soul.”
When we wander, falter, and fall, HE restores. Not reluctantly, not grudgingly, but with the same tender care that marks all His dealings with His sheep.
This restoration is His work alone. No self-improvement program or human help can accomplish what the Shepherd does with a touch of His hand. The wandering sheep cannot find its own way home; it needs the Shepherd to carry it back to the fold.
For it is He and He alone and not another—who restores our souls, leads us in paths of righteousness, prepares our table, and anoints our head. To Him belongs all praise, all glory, all honor. The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is worthy of nothing less than our complete devotion and eternal gratitude.
Do not turn restoring your soul into some work you must do. Come to your Shepherd and wait and listen. He saved us by grace, keeps us by grace, and even restores us by grace.
Restores
The word “restores” refers to returning or bringing us back to, reestablishing, refreshing, and returning from the dead. It refers to getting us back to where we belong, the point of departure.
Somehow, the sheep is in great distress. Maybe it has fallen into temptation and feels cast down, dejected, and frustrated.
The idea is that the sheep has fallen or turned over on its back and can’t get up. Without help, the sheep will die. While the sheep is down, it is very vulnerable to predators.
Surely, the sheep feels panicked and powerless to get back up. The Shepherd must lovingly seek His fallen sheep, help them up, get them standing and strong enough, or carry them until they are able.1
Remember
Our Shepherd loves us, providing all we need and peace in turmoil, calms us down, brings us back, and helps us remember who we are in Christ. We need help to get back because we have focused on the turmoil, the circumstances, and the chaos instead of the Shepherd. We have drifted from the Shepherd into our own hearts and ways. Our love for the Shepherd has drained, and we find ourselves loving us or other things in place of our Shepherd.
In love, our Shepherd brings us home, back to Him. He doesn’t do this because of who we are, but because of who He is. His love causes Him to seek us out and bring us back. We fail our Shepherd, but our Shepherd never fails us.
It is not our work but His grace that restores us. Nothing we do earns our relationship with the Shepherd. It is easy for religion to put the responsibility on the sheep here.
David is in trouble. He is afraid and David makes it clear. The Shepherd restores my soul. He makes sure I do not lack. The Shepherd makes sure I have cool, comforting water.
The sheep’s contribution is that it has gone astray and wandered away, but the Shepherd brings it back to its correct position as His sheep.
As a believer, Christ is in you, and you are in Christ. If you live as though this is not true; it only hurts you. Allowing circumstances, chaos, and confusion to lead you away from who you are only leads to soul-dampening confusion and hurt. Trust your Shepherd; He will restore you.
Soul
This word refers to us as living beings, people with desire, appetite, emotions, and passion. We are living, breathing beings with a life and a soul. You are a living person, and you are important to God.
He is your Shepherd. He cares about you. Remember, you didn’t love God first; He loved you first. You didn’t seek God; He sought you.
He loves you with a love that you can never imagine. He values you so much that God the Father was willing to give His Son, His very life, for you. You are that valuable to God.
Now, He knows you, understands you, and understands where you are coming from. Our Father sees your hurt, doubts, and fears. You fear, wondering if the enemy will get you, if there will be enough for your life; or if you will be able to provide for your family.
If you allow these concerns to flood and drown your soul, yourself, and your heart, you will hurt deeper than you can explain. But He understands, and He comes to you and restores you.
The Shepherd refreshes you. He brings you back and gives you life and purpose again. Our Father, our Shepherd, never leaves you and never forgets you.
You are His, and He is yours. His sweet love and great grace will refresh you if you simply trust Him.
Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23: Discovering God’s Love for You (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019).