want us to become stiff in the joints chewing all day. We’d soon become overstuffed. He has something more for us. These “still” waters in the original meant, “quiet” waters, for the Psalmist did not mean in any sense that they were standing or stagnate. Too many of us have been drinking from water that is impure. It’s like the man in church who got up one day and made it evi dent what a tremendous individual he was. His testimony, certainly not lacking pride, ran, “I was saved 40 years ago and since then not a sin gle drop has spilled out.” The little boy didn’t quite understand what he meant. Nudging his mother, he sagely observed, “Must be a lot of polliwogs inside him!” There is al ways the danger of stagnation. Too many of us are living off of past ex periences, rather than on the green pastures and the quiet waters which God has provided. “He restoreth my soul” ; how soothing and refreshing these words are for our needy hearts. In Hebrew, the word restore means to turn back to the starting point. We are not always what we should be. Spiritual declension comes generally through the neglect of Bible reading and prayer fellowship with the Lord. We all need restoring, returning to the proper pathways which God has ap pointed. Often unconfessed sin sep arates us from God. The Psalmist David said, “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit with in me.” David lost the joy of his spiritual experience and had to be seech the Lord with broken heart, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy sal vation.” It was at the area known as Ka- desh-Bamea that the children of Is rael received the report of the 12 spies. Two said, “Let’s go forward and possess the land. God will be with us.” The other ten were fear ful and faint-hearted declaring, “Ev erything we have heard is true, but
there are giants in the land. We dare not proceed.” That God had told them the battle was theirs didn’t seem to affect the people at all. Israel accepted the majority report and as a result, for 40 years they wandered in the wilderness. How interesting it is that at the end of those 40 years, when they were ready to go into the land, for their jumping-off point they had to return to Kadesh- Barnea! They were restored to the place where with quaking hearts they went astray from God’s will. Sometimes r e s to r a tio n comes through chastisement. Such correc tion when brought by the Lord will either cause us to despise it, to re ject it, to get angry and upset, to faint by it, or, hopefully, to become exercised by it and to make a change, seeking God’s leading for the future. It is further interesting to learn from herdsmen that only when a sheep is sick it fails to recognize the Shepherd’s voice. There are many Christians, not sick physically, but spiritually, who have strayed from the Lord’s path, although He has definitely directed us, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” We’ve missed His voice because we’ve been spiritu ally sick. There is a prescription, however, which restores us, and that is provided in quiet waters. If you’re not feeling well, come to the Lord, the Great Physician, for restoration. In the last phrase of the third verse are the words, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” It’s certainly not be cause we earned or deserved it. You see, He does the leading, and we are to do the following, because the Lord’s reputation is at stake. In Moses’ leading of the children of Is rael through the wilderness, he was always anxious to protect God’s great and holy name. * * * A bad conscience embitters the sweetest comfort, but a good conscience sweetens the bitterest crosses. 16
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