He restoreth my soul
Psalm 23:3a
KJV
I wanted to write a different devotion today than I’m going to write.
By reflex, I read today’s verse and tried to plug in an American definition of “soul.” In our culture, the soul is the spiritual part of a person. It is even a person’s spirit. If you watch enough TV, our souls float disembodied up to heaven or down to hell when we die. This kind of spirit might even float around and haunt houses.
That’s not the Hebrew definition.
Biblically, while “soul” can denote feelings, desires, and will, it is more often a simple synonym for life itself. The Hebrew word nepes, translated “soul” and “life” in the old King James, is even translated very simply as “I” and “me” in more modern translations like the RSV.
I was hoping to write a flowery devotion about God restoring that spiritual part of us – and he absolutely does.
But this verse more simply says that God revives our life. The good shepherd cares about our days. Our food and breath and shelter matter to him.
This point is not as flowery, but it’s equally profound and important. The God of the universe cares about every aspect of your life.
In Christ’s Love,
a soul-man
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