I don’t know about anybody else, but retirement has been hard for me.
I had served in church positions for more than 50 years, yet here I was. Sickness crept in, and then the circumstances of life came crashing down until I found myself in the hospital — never doubting my relationship with Jesus Christ, just no longer seemingly trusting Him for the everyday parts of life.
Then one day I found myself pondering the 23rd Psalm in a very different way.
Can God really restore my ‘soul’?
It may be one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, but for some reason, I was drawn to these six verses like never before. Verse 3 stuck out in my mind, and I began to ask questions. Can God really restore my “soul”? And what does that really mean? Could “soul” mean every part of me; mind, spirit and especially body? I came to the conclusion that it did in fact mean every part of me.
As I looked at Psalm 23 again, seemingly for the first time, it became clear that the first verse was an introductory statement that encompassed the whole six verses.
“The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want.” Most translations and paraphrases use all capitals for LORD in the first verse to designate the unpronounceable name of God. It comes from Exodus 3:14, where God reveals His name to Moses as “I AM.”
This name became so revered and Holy that it was unpronounceable to the Israelite people. It was known only as “YHWH” later vowels were added to become “Jehovah.” So, David stated up front that “I AM” is his shepherd. His God has no beginning and no end; He “IS” — always was and will be — no beginning and no end.
This ever being God is his shepherd. David knew about shepherding because he was one as a boy. He was sent out to watch his father’s sheep as a young boy. As the youngest of eight boys, he was tending sheep when he was called in to be anointed by Samuel as the next king, and he was tending sheep when he went to visit his brothers when Goliath was taunting the army of Israel.
Where I’d fallen
Why David chose sheep seems strange to me. Sheep are the dumbest animals around. They can do nothing without the shepherd. They can’t take care of themselves and will literally follow each other off a cliff or into any kind of trouble wherever the lead sheep goes.
That’s where I was. I had fallen off the cliff of life because I let the circumstances around me control my thoughts and actions. I was no longer following and listening to my Shepherd but what was happening to and around me.
David’s next statement is incredible – “I shall not want” (KJV).
I do not know of very many people who do not have some wants. Whether it is more money, better working conditions, more benefits, a better home, better kids and on and on it goes. More, more, more! David said I have what I need (CSB), I will not be in need (NASB 2020).
He knew that his “Shepherd” always had and always will provide exactly what he needs every time all the time. Sometimes we find ourselves at the place where we can only see what is happening around us and not what God is doing around us and — in the background, as He prepares for today and tomorrow.
Next David goes on to explain what his Shepherd is doing for him. (v 2) “He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.” Both are important to sheep. They do not have the ability to take care of themselves, so the shepherd provides lush green pastures for resting and eating. Sheep will not drink in fast running water, so the shepherd will even make a small pool of still waters for them to drink. Our Shepherd is precise in meeting our everyday needs. He knows what we need, when we need it, and how we need it — even if we do not at the time.
‘Valuable lessons’
Then the verse that drew me to this Psalm again was verse 3: “He restores my soul.”
According to FaithBot our soul refers to our personality, emotions, will and intellect, who we are. I needed to be restored and placed back on the right path so my Shepherd could get glory for my being here and what I was doing.
In this restoration process, I learned some very valuable lessons.
He was not going to do something that I needed to do myself. I wanted physical healing, and I wanted a miracle to happen, but He said “not so fast.” “Get up and start exercising, and I will be with you as you do.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was written by retired pastor Robert Hendricks, who is a member of Wall Highway Baptist Church in Madison. He’s pastored churches in Texas and northern and southern California. He served with pastoral care for Inland Empire Baptist Association in Ontario, California. Hendricks also wrote “Philippians: Finding Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ,” which is available on Amazon.
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