He Renews My Strength

"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:1-3

Before he was a king, David spent many nights underneath the stars tending his father’s sheep. He had to make decisions about the flock to insure their well-being. He looked for green meadows where they could graze under his watchful eye, safe from predators. He would lead them to quiet waters where they could drink free of swiftly moving currents. From his experience, David wrote this beautiful, well-known Psalm which depicts God as our shepherd. Later Jesus declared that He is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.

The green meadows and peaceful streams are a beautiful analogy depicting God’s provision for our lives, but I’ve often wondered how a shepherd could renew the strength of a sheep. Some translations read, “He restores my soul.” Of the soul, David writes in another Psalm , “Why are you cast down, O my soul?…Hope in God.”

In his book, A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller, who was himself once a shepherd, tells us that sometimes sheep become what shepherds refer to as “cast” or “cast down.” This is when the sheep has turned over on its back and cannot get up. Without the assistance of the shepherd, the sheep is destined to die or fall prey to wolves and other predators. 

Sometimes you and I are like the sheep lying on its back, unable to upright itself. But we need not despair. Our hope is in God. He is the Good Shepherd who not only provides for our needs, but will come along and upright us when we are cast down, saving us from our enemies, restoring our soul, renewing our strength.