He Restores My Soul
One of the things that the Psalmist reminds me about my relationship with God is that “He restores my soul.” I quite frequently give more emphasis to that which precedes and that which follows this great blessing. Indeed, I can be confident that he “makes me to lie down in green pastures … and leads me beside still waters … and leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
But, dear reader, please ponder the greatness of the thought that he also restores your soul. I love what the author Terri Blackstock says in the afterword to her book, Trial By Fire:
“He’s restored my soul when I’v beaten it and bruised it through my careless actions and terrible choices. He has restored my soul when I’ve allowed it to run empty, and he’s restored it when I’ve filled it up with things it wasn’t made to hold. He has restored my soul when others have crushed it. He has restored my soul when there was no hope of restoration.”
Terri Blackstock is one of my favorite authors in the genre of literature that is commonly called “inspiring fiction.” In this book, she describes the transformation in the life of Issie Mattreaux, a young lady who is 24 years old as the events of the book unfold. Issie struggles to keep her nephew, 16-year old Jake, from repeating some of the same mistakes that she made as a teenager. Issie also fights to overcome the effects of previous poor life-choices and finds herself being drawn to an unlikely romantic interest in the town’s single preacher, Nick Foster. Eventually Issie allows Nick and other godly friends to penetrate her tough exterior and she begins to experience God’s restoration in her life.
There are many things that can influence you in your life. You will control whether the positive influences prevail or the negative ones. My prayer for you is that you will seek the counsel of God and of godly people as you make choices, as you fill up your soul, when others attempt to crush your soul and when there appears to be no hope of restoration.
Thanks for reading with me, beloved. Be a positive influence in someone’s life today!
–Randy Sexton