He restores my soul; (Psalm 23:3a NKJV)
My will power to get out of bed or eat disappeared like the sun behind black storm clouds. I cried myself to sleep, and when I awoke, I cried again. One of my darkest days of depression occurred after learning my prodigal daughter wanted no reunion. She preferred a life free of rules and God.
A cast sheep is one that has laid down, stretched out, and rolled into a comfortable position on his back. When the sheep tries to stand up, his feet can’t make contact with the ground. Struggling only tires the sheep. Unless the shepherd helps the sheep back on his feet, he will die. Either the heat of the day or a watchful predator will end the sheep’s life. *
Weight works against the sheep’s ability to get back on his feet. Heavy with wool, fat, or pregnancy can work against the sheep.
Friend, sometimes we carry a weight we cannot bear. Whether it’s discouragement, disappointment, depression or grief, we struggle to make it through the day. Like a cast sheep, we need our good shepherd to set us upright again.
As David penned this psalm, he probably recalled the multiple times he had rescued a cast sheep. Then his thoughts drifted to the countless times God delivered him.
Jesus turns our upside-down world right side up again.
As I traveled through the valley of depression, my husband feared He’d come home to discover I had given in to suicidal thoughts. That particular day, he found me with tear-soaked pillows. He demanded, “Get out of bed and get dressed. We’re going out to dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I am, so get up and get dressed.”
I unwillingly dressed and got in the car, and I made it through dinner without falling apart. In retrospect, Timmy gave me the medicine I so desperately needed that day.
In time, the depression subsided, and joy returned, but if Jesus hadn’t restored my soul, I would have been another cast sheep who didn’t make it.
Friend, are you that cast sheep today? No matter what you try, you can’t find relief. Cry out to Jesus. Let Him hear your continual bleating. Jesus restores our souls because He is our good shepherd.
Lord Jesus, I don’t recognize my world anymore. Hear my cries and restore my soul! Restore the joy and peace I have lost in my hopeless state. Thank You Lord for the day when weeping will turn to joy. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
HIKING THE TRAIL
After reading the verses in Psalm 42, notice the lie Satan is hissing in your ear. The enemy wants you to believe God has forsaken you, but we can replace that lie with the truth of Hebrews 13:5 – He never leaves us or forsakes us.
RELATED RESOURCE
Depression is a disease that affects us spiritually. Please see a doctor and/or counselor for treatment. You can learn more about how I battled depression in my book: Eyes of Faith: Winning the Battle Between Our Feelings and Our Faith here.
* Phillip W. Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1970, 2007, 2015) Kindle version, Chapter 5.
Originally posted on September 13, 2021 @ 3:00 am
Thanks for this. I am struggling a bit right now and I don’t know why.
My pleasure! You’ve been under some stress and possibly the rejection has brought you down. That’s understandable. Just don’t stay down. Love you my friend. The right agent will come along.
I had been there many years ago. My depression lead me down a darker road that was already a dark road. I already had a food addiction and when depression hit me square on like a semi truck i turned to food even more than usual and quickly gained a 100 pounds. I finally sought help and got on an antidepressant that was a life saver for me. It did not heal my food addiction BUT it did get me out of bed on my days off, got me back in the car even if it was just to drive around town and I no longer wanted to disappear. I was a cast sheep but I have no memory of bleeping out to God for help. He just stepped in and righted me each time I was stuck. Good thing His help was not on the condition that I asked for it but maybe silently in my heart I was but just too deaf to hear my own cries for help.
What a wonderful testimony!