Carri Lynne Pratt
"The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside still waters,
He Restores my Soul." Psalm 23:1-3
I have read the 23rd Psalm about a thousand times over my life, it was actually the very first passage of Scripture my father made me memorize as a child. However, I never noticed the word "makes" as in forces me to lie down and take a rest. I never noticed, that is, until I was actually forced to take a rest.
This world is crazy! We live at a such a fast pace with loads of stress and everyone wants something from us. It has become so normal that we often don't even realize how much we have checked out and are living on autopilot to just survive. This is the way I was living while attempting to finish my master's degree from seminary while trying to maintain a home, husband and three children, and volunteer at church, and volunteer at my kid's school, and on and on and oh my goodness!
This is where God comes in and says, "Guess what? You need a rest. I am going to 'make' you 'lie down in green pastures.' Unfortunately those green pastures may look a little brown to us. Like those times that we are laid off from a job or experience a sickness or lose an opportunity that we wanted. Things may look pretty desperate actually, but just remember, God is always in control. He wants only good things for His children and we must trust in Him alone.
This week let's focus on restoration of our Mind, Body and Soul. In order to restore something it must be brought as close to new as possible, fixing all of the harm that has come upon it during its life, like restoring an old car to a thing of beauty, we can also do our best to restore ourselves.
Mind: Whatever. The most important thing you can do to restore your mind is to think good thoughts and fill your mind with good things. Scripture tells us that "Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8
Body: Nutrition. Your body craves good nutrition. This week consider trying to eat more things that were alive than were processed. Fill your fridge with eye catching fruits and veggies like carrots, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, blueberries and strawberries. Reach for these at snack time and remember to drink lots and lots of water.
Soul: Prayer & Meditation. Pray that God will restore you in many different ways. Meditate on the verse, "Be still and know that I AM God." Psalm 46:10 as well as the 23rd Psalm. Repeat these verses back to yourself before your prayers. Actually be still and imagine yourself in the presence of God Almighty, your Heavenly Father and King of Kings. He is trust worthy and able to do all things. He is in control of the world, and of your life. Imagine yourself lying down in green pastures next to beautifully still waters.
Video Suggestion: Restore Me by Anthony Evans View Here
This week's Scripture reading: Philippians 1:19-30 Read Here
This week's Scripture reading: Philippians 1:19-30 Read Here
"Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ."
Philippians 1:27
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