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Have you ever found yourself thinking, "I need a break!" Do you ever want to just get away from it all because the demands of life are so heavy? We all need to take time for ourselves away from the demands of life and vacations are wonderful, but have you ever gotten back from a vacation and felt like you needed to rest up from your vacation? It may have been a great time away, but did it really restore your soul?
Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions. Taking a trip will help us get some rest physically and may help with our emotional state, but true soul restoration only really comes from spending time with God. One of the things God uses to bring restoration to our lives is His Word. Psalm 19:7 says, "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul." As we spend time in His word, we will find a refreshing. He will speak things to our heart, soul, and spirit that will strengthen us.
The word restore means "to turn back, to come back, to turn around, and to refresh." The basic meaning is "movement back to the point of departure." As we go through our days, we can become so distracted and busy that we lose our center. We need to be brought back into our close relationship with God. This is why spending time in God's word is so vitally important.
We are all familiar with Psalm 23. David, the shepherd, even though he spent much time alone out in the fields with the sheep, knew his soul restoration didn't come just from being away and alone. In verse 5 he said, "He restores my soul." The Hebrew word for soul, nephesh, means, "breath, respiration, life, soul, and mind." God was the one who brought life back to David's soul.
When David fell into sin and cried out to God in Psalm 51 for forgiveness, He asked God to "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation." He knew that since he had fallen into sin, only God could bring wholeness back to his life. Sometimes we quote this first part of verse 12, but the rest of that verse says, "Then I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will be converted to you." Once he was restored, He wanted to share the truth of God's word with others.
If you are in need of soul restoration, Psalm 80:3 is a good prayer. "O God, restore us and cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved." Most likely if you are reading this, you are already saved, but this is not talking about salvation from sin. This word in Hebrew, Yasha, means "to be open, wide, or free." It is the opposite of "to cramp." It is also the opposite of distress. When we have plenty of room to move, we feel safe, secure and free. It means to be delivered, saved, and to experience victory. Our Lord Jesus' Hebrew name Yeshua even comes from this word. He is our Savior, deliverer, and Victor!
If you are in need of restoration in your soul, vacations are great and we need them, but our ultimate restoration will come from spending time in God's Word and in His presence. We can ask him to restore us and ask His face to shine on us. Once we have experienced it, it is then our responsibility to help others experience the same thing.