He Restores My Soul

 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why do you sigh within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him for his saving help,
My Savior and my God (Ps. 42).

Every 3 to 4 years, I find myself drawn back to reading A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller.  Mr. Keller is himself a shepherd, and his insights into Psalm 23 never fail to renew my amazement at this song of David.  Written from the viewpoint of the sheep, Psalm 23 is rich in imagery for God's care for us physically and spiritually.  Because we are so far removed from the culture of shepherds and sheep, we fail to grasp many of the implications of the 23rd Psalm.  For example, when we hear about "green pastures," we have no idea of the agonizing toil it requires on the part of the shepherd for his sheep to feed in green pastures.  Shepherding is usually done in an arid climate, where the soil is typically rocky and vegetation sparse, so the shepherd typically spends months preparing a grazing field for his flock before he ever leads them to it---removing stones and poisonous weeds, sowing and nurturing seed, and making sure there is enough water to grow lush fields.

One of the phrases that escapes us in terms of shepherding is "He restores my soul."  In Psalm 42, as in many other psalms, David speaks directly to his soul, which is "downcast" within him.  In other Psalms, David typically says, "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me praise His holy name!"  I don't know how many of us speak directly to our souls, especially when we are downcast and out of sorts.

In his reflection on the phrase, "He restores my soul," Philip Keller writes about sheep who are "downcast," a technical term for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up again by itself.  Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to stand up, without success.  If the owner does not arrive on the scene in a relatively short time, the sheep will die.  For one thing, predators are always on the alert for a cast-down sheep, easy prey for them.  Strangely, it is the largest, fattest, strongest, and healthiest sheep that are the most easily cast down.  They lie down in a comfortable spot in some little depression in the ground, roll over to stretch out and get comfortable, and suddenly the center of gravity shifts, and they cannot get up without help.

Keller says the shepherd goes out daily searching for cast sheep, especially if he sees buzzards circling overhead.  Leaving everything else, he anxiously begins counting the sheep; if one is missing, he leaves the 99 and goes in search of the one missing.  Finding the cast-down sheep, he lovingly embraces it, scolds it gently, and turns it over, lifting it to its feet while supporting it himself until the sheep begins to regain her balance and walk in her own strength once again.  When the shepherd must leave town for a few days, he appoints someone to keep an eye out daily for cast-down sheep.

So when David speaks to his soul, reminding himself to 'Put your hope in God," he knows whereof he speaks.  He knows that he cannot lift himself up by his own bootstraps, but that he is entirely dependent on the Good Shepherd, who said, "I myself will pasture (my sheep)."  When he is cast down in spirit, he waits for God's saving help, knowing the faithfulness of a shepherd who will not allow his flock to remain cast down and prey to their enemies.