Our self-perceived needs are often based on our wants. Think about it. We can reason in our minds to say we “need” fancy athletic clothing with a big-name brand on it, access to all social media platforms, constant fast internet connections, $5 cups of coffee, and sharing our opinion on someone else’s preference (“I wouldn’t have done it that way”). Yet, we can often be slow to reveal our spiritual needs. We have no problem believing we need to share with others our opinions on politics, healthcare, leadership, and parenting skills…and we don’t care what others think of our opinion (because we believe our way is the only correct way!). However, when it comes to revealing our spiritual needs, we are often unwilling or overly cautious in doing so. As a result, we find great spiritual weakness in the church among of very unteachable, opinionated people who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ!
In Psalm 23 it is the sheep that is speaking of the Good Shepherd. It is the sheep that declares who his shepherd is and what that means to him. “The Lord is MY shepherd.” So, it is significant that the sheep acknowledges the need for his soul to be restored. Does your soul need to be restored or revived? What would that look like?
You and I can come to positions in life where we are in need of restoration, even with the Good Shepherd watching over us. David, the author of this Psalm, is a good example of this very thing. He was a man after God’s heart, but he also knew what it was to be cast down and dejected. He had tasted defeat in his life and felt the frustration of having fallen under temptation. David knew the feeling of hopelessness and without strength in his own person
The Shepherd’s Restoration
The aim would be finding the “cast” sheep. This is the picture of sheep needing to be restored because the sheep has turned over on its back (a “cast” sheep).
The problem is that this puts the sheep in an extremely dangerous position. The sheep cannot get up on its own. If the Shepherd doesn’t come to the sheep’s rescue soon, it will succumb to the elements or a predator. A cast sheep is in need of intervention!
The prevention the shepherd will provide is to shear the “cast” sheep and keep their coats from getting too thick. A coat that is too thick is often the problem for many cast sheep.
God will often take the pointedness of His Word to cut off rough edges of our life and expose the blind spots.
The Caring Shepherd
the Shepherd’s Resolve
Keep the sheep on their feet. Keep a watchful eye on the flock. Keep a good count — the shepherd will search for just one lost sheep.
the Shepherd’s Remedy
Turn the cast sheep back over on its feet. The Shepherd will also need to massage the sheep’s feet/legs to enable the circulation to return. This process is a slow, patient process for the Shepherd to undertake.
the Sheep’s Enemy: The Predator’s Attack
A predator knows that a cast sheep is easy prey and a meal is not far off when in this position. The predator is waiting and watching.
A discouraged, cast down believer is easy prey for the attacks of Satan! One Pastor remembered shepherding days in regard to “cast” sheep. He said, “All the time I worked on the cast sheep, I would talk to it gently, ‘When are you going to learn to stand on your own feet?’ ‘I’m so glad I found you in time – you rascal!’”
The conversation was a combination of tenderness and rebuke – of compassion and correction. The sheep would regain their equilibrium and begin to walk steadily and surely. By and by it would dash away to rejoin the others, set free from its fears and frustrations, given another chance to live a little longer.
What a picture of “He restoreth my soul!” What about you? Are you struggling…cannot seem to get back on your feet…needing spiritual restoration? Only the Good Shepherd does the work of restoration.
3 Things the Good Shepherd does when restoring my soul:
1. He calls me to draw close to Him.
James 4:8; Psalm 34:10; 63:1; Jeremiah 29:13. God has already made the first move. The Good Shepherd loved me first! The Good Shepherd continues to pursue me. The Good Shepherd is also always ready to forgive me and shower me with His mercy when I ask Him. So, the move that is needed to be made is mine to make! The Good Shepherd is ready and waiting for the sheep to seek and find Him. The barriers are of my own making. Do not use the barriers as the excuse for failure. Use the barriers as greater opportunities to depend on your loving Shepherd and form deeper relationship with Him. Walk through the barriers -- by God’s grace -- and draw closer to the Good Shepherd!
2. He directs my steps.
Proverbs 3:5-7; 14:12; 16:9. We will stand in a position of humility and surrender when the Lord directs our steps. We can choose to fight God’s direction and walk our own path – only to discover weeks, months, or even years later that our way was indeed wrong like God said. We can also choose to surrender to follow God’s path, even if we don’t fully understand it, and discover how His pathway will bring genuine joy & peace...just as God said it would.
Here’s the point and the warning wrapped up in one statement: we can choose our own way, but we cannot choose the consequences. The Shepherd is so genuinely GOOD that He wrote us all 66 letters by 40 different human authors over a period of 1500 years (the Bible) to reveal our need for gospel receiving, gospel living, and gospel investing ... and point His disciples to a path that does not remove hardship but overflows with joy & peace at the same time.
And then the bigger point is this -- we can rebel against God or we can surrender to God, but regardless of what we chose, we will always come to realize three things:
1. God is always in control ... 2. God’s way and my own way are just as He described in the Bible ... and 3. God really does love me!
3. He strengthens my resolve.
The Lord has a way of deepening my Biblical convictions as He deepens my relationship with Him. Deeper relationship brings deeper Bible convictions.... deeper Bible convictions strengthens my resolve to stand closer to the Good Shepherd. The closer to the Good Shepherd we become will reveal to us the sweet place of protection from self, encouragement, evaluation, confession, repentance, holiness, and true love. This is a great place of spiritual strength and resolve. So, quickly, consider what is pursued to have a deeper relationship with Jesus:
…a faith in God that yields a teachable spirit...but this faith that is needed is small and a non-negotiable! (Psalm 119:66-faith/teachable; Matthew 17:20-baby steps are great; Hebrews 11:6-non-negotiable)
…a humble heart of confession and repentance (I John 1:9-confession; II Corinthians 7:1-holiness; James 5:16-confession)
…a spirit that is not prone to give up and that is persistent (Acts 17:11)
…a sharp focus on God’s character (Genesis 18:14a-power; Exodus 33:14-presence; Jeremiah 23:24-knowledge; John 1:14-truth)
…a dependence on God’s matchless grace (Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11-salvation; Hebrews 4:16-prayer; II Corinthians 12:9-daily living)
Do whatever you can to deepen your relationship with the Good Shepherd, for it is the Good Shepherd that restores your soul!