For His Name's Sake

He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3b)

Have you ever wondered exactly why it is that the Creator of the Universe loved us so much He would send His only Son to die at our hands, carrying the weight of our debt and guilt? Has it occurred to you to stop and wonder why this same Creator desires a personal relationship with people as tiny as we are -- and individually, at that?

It still amazes me to think about it. Why would this God be our shepherd? Why would He make us to lie down in green pastures, lead us beside still waters, restore our souls? Why would He deign to lead us in the paths of righteousness, which we are incapable of walking on our own? 

Why does He do these things? For His name's sake! To put it another way, because it's who He is. It is in His nature to love -- to truly love -- because Love is who He is. 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) (emphasis mine)

God is love. Our salvation has nothing to do with who we are; it has everything to do with who He is. Love is His very nature. It is the core and fiber of His being. He is Love, and so much more! He is Just. He is perfect. He, therefore, doesn't merely save us. He doesn't merely lead us to green pastures and still waters... but once He's taken us there, He then shows us how to be righteous. Because He loves us. 

Because that is who He is.

In The Paths of Righteousness

He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3b)

Our God is marked by His grace and mercy. These two key traits are how we best know our Messiah -- they are manifestations of His great love for us. We, meanwhile, are known by our need for His grace and mercy. If you're a Christian, this is pretty basic stuff. You don't come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without first understanding what it is you need to be saved from. 

One of the wonderful things about having a God who saves though, is that He knows our strengths and weaknesses. Take, for example, Jesus' admonition in Matthew 5:48 to "be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Does He really believe you and I, in our own strength, can come even close to that kind of standard? If He did, He wouldn't have needed to die. 

No. He knows you and I aren't capable of perfection. We take a couple steps toward Righteousness and are as completely lost as a ship in fog with no navigation. But He doesn't expect us to tread the path of Righteousness on our own. Instead, He leads us. 

This is part of what it means to be a shepherd. The sheep don't always know the way. They don't always have the destination in mind. They get distracted. But the Shepherd knows where He's going. He knows what the sheep need, and how to get them there. So He leads. 

And the leading, too, is a part of His grace.

He Restores My Soul

He restores my soul...
Psalm 23:3a

Have you ever been bone tired? It's that level of fatigue where you're not sure where you're going to come up with the strength to take another step. All your body wants to do is fall down and stay where it lands. It's that feeling you get when all your reserves are used up. There are no more second winds. There is, simply, nothing left.

The beauty of Psalm 23 is that it speaks to the soul in that same state of fatigue. The soul that is spiritually used up; when you feel like you've given everything you have, and then some. There's an old cliche that says God won't give you more than you can handle -- but, deep down, your soul knows it isn't true. We are constantly given more than we can handle on our own. With all the darkness in the world, with all those who use us, or abuse us, with all that we have to give of ourselves... it all becomes too much, until finally our souls want nothing else but to collapse in on themselves, to be tucked away into a dark corner, and kept safe and alone for the next several years.

I've been there. So have you.

But the good news is, God never expected us to do it on our own. We are given more than we can handle, because nothing is more than He can handle. He's in this with us -- even more, in fact. And when we're exhausted, He lets us rest in him. And He not only lets us rest, but restores our souls.

To restore means to renew; to bring back to a state of health and vigor. When we rest in Him, He doesn't merely lend us support enough to go on; He brings us back to full health. More, in fact, He makes us stronger, because of the trials we've already undergone.

When you're willing to let yourself be led -- when you recognize God as the Great Shepherd, and submit yourself to His will -- He will give you rest and restore your soul.