As Often as Needed

From time to time my thoughts return to part of a verse of scripture that came from the heart of Jesus. I only need this one partial phrase to start me thinking about how we forget about the complete loving care the Lord gives us each and every day.

Jesus was speaking about how most of us worry about our daily needs too much. And then He said these words in Matthew 6:28 … "Consider the lilies of the field …"

If God takes care of the wild flowers He plants on the mountain sides and in the valleys by giving them both sunshine and rain in due season, shouldn’t we, just as the flowers do, lift our heads and look to Him for the things we have need of instead of worrying about things that we cannot control anyway?

Jesus goes on and says … "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Many people when worried or confronted about things in life turn to what is considered the best known scripture in the entire Bible …

Psalm 23:1 … "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."

The Hebrew word LORD used here is Jehovah, meaning the … "self existent, eternal one." We as Christians extend that to now mean … Jesus, who is the express image of God in the flesh, who is also called the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 23:2 … "He maketh me to lie down …" Notice the word "maketh" in this phrase, which by implication means … cause to, make to lie down, make to rest.

A shepherd, who corrals his sheep in a pen or a pasture for food and rest after wandering, presents us with the illustration of the Lord, as our shepherd … making us lie down and rest from the worries and cares of our life's journey.

What is the main purpose for leading us to a place of rest?

Psalm 23:3 … "He restoreth my soul …"

In Hebrew, the word restore means … "to refresh you, to rescue and to recover for you what you have lost, and to retrieve and cause it to return again."

It could be something you’ve lost or used up; something life has stolen from you like your peace, joy, faith or trust.

There is one more meaning for "He restoreth my soul" … "to get ones self back again," meaning literally … "He causes my life to return."

The word "soul" here means the life or spirit of man, and not the eternal soul in the strict sense in which the term is now used today. It refers to the human spirit, the heart of man when it is exhausted, weary, troubled, anxious, and worn down with the cares and toils of life. The meaning here is, that God refreshes and stirs it to new life. It’s as if God "breathes" new life back into you.

Because of this restoration you can now say as in …

Psalm 23:5 … "My cup runneth over." The word cup or container as used here comes from an old unused Hebrew word meaning … "to hold together." I take that to mean that whatever God uses to restore your soul will be rock solid and hold you together.

The two words runneth over means … "satisfaction."

It is not merely … "full" … it runs over continually. This indicates an abundance of "satisfaction." And from the abundance of the blessings from God, the psalmist infers that God will always provide for him, and that He would never leave him wanting.

How did this Psalm begin? "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want."

The word "want" in the Hebrew means … to lack, by implication … to fail or want.

Why shall I not want? Because … "He restoreth my soul" … as often as needed.



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