Psalm 23:3  “he restores my soul.”

[You, Lord Jesus, are the Shepherd of my whole being: spirit, soul and body. I praise you that in believing in you, I was born again and you made my spirit come alive. Praise you that in living with you, my soul is being restored, being moved towards its pre-sin condition, a process to be fully achieved at death.

You are doing this by transforming my thinking, my will and my emotions as I lie down in your pasture, as I take in of your Word, drink in of your being, and bask in the light and love of your presence.

The rich discipline of memorizing your Word and praying through it while personalizing it, brings more transformation in each area. You teach me to think your thoughts, to desire your will, to lead my emotions. You are transforming what I understand, decide and feel.

In addition, worshiping you through praise brings further change, much of it on an emotional level, seen in a solidification of strength in my soul. Praise brings a greater grasp of your love, a deeper understanding of the security of belonging to you.

It brings a detachment from the thoughts and opinions of of others, learning to fear you instead of people.

It brings a growing desire to please you, of the certainty of your goodness to do what is best, a deepening of faith.

It leads to the response of praise instead of complaining, of positive words and actions in in the place of critical negative statements.

It brings a deepened patience flowing from grasping that you control the timing of what is going on around me. These are some of the ways you have restored my soul, and I’m sure there are many more such good steps to come.

You, Lord Jesus, are the source of life, of healing, of transformation, of hope, of joy. I praise you for your great and deep love which leads you to work with us stubborn sheep, we who wound you afresh every day with our willful, selfish, sinful choices.

Forgive me, Lord Jesus, for hurting you. Forgive me for my rebellion and unbelief. Forgive me for not walking consistently with you through the day, not praying during conversations, not denying self when necessary, not rejecting fear of man, not immediately fleeing from lustful thoughts, not being diligent in what you have given me to do.

Help me today, Lord, to walk in close communion with you, to obey the clear commands of your Word, and to follow the promptings of your Spirit, that I may not grieve your heart, that my soul might be further restored and that you may receive more honor and glory.