He Restores My Soul

Another great day in Romania! More food distribution. Time with Pastor Claudiu, Corina, and the kids (including their new baby). The kickoff of the anniversary celebration marking the twenty-fifth year of our ministry partnership with Grace Church. You’ll be glad to know that Tom did a fantastic job remembering and reflecting on the goodness and faithfulness of God over the last quarter century!

Since I blogged about being “happy tired” last night, I thought I’d follow up with a couple of thoughts from my recent sermons on Psalm 23. One of the cool things about being in this part of the world is that you sometimes get to see a real shepherd. And real sheep. My heart is drawn to Verse 3, where I’m reminded that my Lord “restores my soul.” Don’t you just love that?

I’ve been telling God’s people here that we need our souls restored because, like those clueless sheep, we wander. We sin and stray. We lose our way. But we can always run back to the arms of a Father who loves us even when we’re far from home. Our God loves smelly sheep.

We also need a Shepherd because we forget the goodness of God. Settling far too often for lesser things, we often create chaos for ourselves through our own idolatry and rebellion. But, again, God is faithful to deliver us (from us). He is the Father of the prodigal … watching and waiting … running and embracing … kissing and celebrating!

And, my beloved fellow sheep, we need Christ to revive us because we grow weary and depleted. We get tired. We stumble and fall. I can picture a human shepherd tending patiently to the needs of his flock, even carrying a wounded animal that can’t go any further. How much more awesome is the thought of “the Word made flesh” hearing our cries for help, lifting our burdens, and replenishing our joy in Him.

If you want your soul restored, the Good Shepherd is all you need.

Pastor Charles