Restore My SoulSample

Soul Restoration

Our family's Bible publication date reads 1863. Over the years, time took its toll on this beautiful book. My mom knew how much I adored the old Bible, had it restored and gave it to me as a birthday gift. The bookbindery Mom sent it to, removed the Bible’s original damaged spine, rebound the pages by hand and replaced the deteriorated endpapers. They painstakingly cleaned grime and grit revealing the intricately carved designs decorating the leather cover. It took months for the bindery to delicately and intentionally restore this gorgeous Bible. But it was worth it. It is stunning.

We’re all a little bit like my family Bible—torn a bit on the edge from something we don’t like to talk about, worn down all over from years of dealing with an ongoing issue, a little or maybe even a lot cracked in the middle from heartache. And God? He is like the bookbindery. Only better. He wants to take what is broken and damaged and what feels like it is beyond repair in our lives and restore it—restore us to our original beauty.

God is in the restoration business.

Our good, good shepherd leads us to still waters—not roaring streams with strong, fast currents or oceans with powerful, high waves, but still waters.

He calls us to rest. To breathe. To drink cool, refreshing streams of His love, forgiveness, and grace. To lie down and close our eyes in soft, green pastures. To let His peace that surpasses all understanding wash over us, heal us. Jesus longs for us to share with Him all our fears and worries. To allow Him to restore our souls. It’s not a quick and easy process. But the time we spend with Jesus revives and repairs us.

Jesus will walk alongside us, comforting us as we face dark, challenging times. When enemies, critics,
and people who have hurt or don’t understand us come our way, our loving Shepherd prepares a feast for us, to satisfy us, to give us the energy to continue.

And if we follow Jesus to the green pastures He leads us to, if we drink from the still waters He guides us to, our souls truly will be restored. God’s goodness, faithfulness, and mercy will make our spines stronger, our bindings firm, and the pages of our stories filled with grace, love, and joy.

What needs restoring in your life today? Take some time away with Jesus. Close your eyes. Maybe even lie down. Turn your troubles over to Him and ask for His healing restoration.

Read Psalm 23