Soul Restoration

 “He refreshes my soul…” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭3a‬ ‭

The word restoration is an attractive word but comes with a process. If you’ve ever had any kind of home renovation, you know the first step is the removal of the old pieces and parts and any necessary repairs before the new materials can be installed. Similarly, there are inferior things in our souls that need to be removed because they aren’t aligned with God’s Kingdom. 

Living on earth unfortunately means an assault on the soul. We experience loss, wounds, betrayal and effects of sin. When I first started walking with God, I had old mindsets that needed correcting, brokenness needing healing, and sin and shame that had to be eradicated. Thankfully, God tells each of us, “Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]” (Rev.‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ ‭AMP‬).‬  God shows us what needs to be stripped away - what isn’t meant to be there. Though we can feel raw in the process, God gives us courage and grace to keep following Him on this path to restoration.  We can hold onto the promise that, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be]” (1 Pet.‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭AMP).‬‬ 

God reveals His perfect plans and His perfect love for His children over and over in His Word. The woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus with condemnation and a death sentence, yet Jesus freed her from condemnation and offered an invitation to leave her life of sin (John 8:10-11).  Encountering His love - a love that is so compelling, so real, and so safe - has a way of bringing humility to our wayward hearts so that God can begin the repairs of our soul. God sent Jesus and launched His plan to restore our identity as sons and daughters, connected to His heart and ways. 

It’s almost as if our soul sometimes has to catch up with the Good News. The Gospel is the invitation into the restoration process that acknowledges that “you were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News…” (‭‭Col. ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬).  Jesus did all the work and made a way for us to walk in fellowship with the Trinity, but we have to accept the gift and apply it to our lives. He wants to hand us treasure but we have to let go of the junk we hold onto. 

God never designed us to live apart from Him, riddled with guilt and shame. The Good Shepherd shepherds us through the entire process of restoration. Our part is to allow God to love us and teach us His ways, believing and remembering the Good News of the Gospel and the victory Christ secured for us. It is finished and He is seated in heaven, awaiting the appointed time for full restoration of all things (Acts 3:21). That day is coming friends so let’s take God at His word. Follow Him through the restoration process and take heart - He’s with us all the way.