I finished reading a nail-biter by Terri Blackstock called, Trial by Fire.  Granted, it was a fictional tale but Terri is a Christian author who is compelled to share her faith in her writing.  In the Afterword section of the book, Terri shares her devotional experience from a phrase found in the 23rd Psalm.  He restores my Soul

“Always before, I dwelled on the verse before it, about his leading me beside the quiet waters.  That is, after all, a wonderful thought in such a stressful, noisy world.  And I’ve pondered the verse after it, about the Lord guiding me in paths of righteousness.  That’s particularly important to someone like me, who has no sense of direction.

“But this is the first time I’ve lingered on his restoring my soul.

“And I realized that he does, in such a merciful way.  He has restored my soul when I’ve beaten and bruised it through my careless actions and terrible choices.  He has restored my soul when I’ve allowed it to run empty, and he’s restored it when I’ve filled it up with things it wasn’t meant to hold.  He has restored my soul when others have crushed it.  He has restored it when there was no hope for restoration.

“And I wondered what my life would look like now, if I had never allowed that restoration.  What if I had pushed God away when he reached down for me like a daddy reaching for his toddler?  What if I had not reached up to him, allowing him to lift me?  What if I had not laid my head on his shoulder?

“Where would I be if I’d had to take the punishment I deserved for the sins I committed, and if I’d had to walk through life without that perfect, unconditional love?  What if I’d had to face a future eternity with only hopelessness and fear?

“Thank God for Jesus Christ, who loved me so much that he took that punishment for me, cleaned my slate, restored my soul…”

Terri Blackstock, pp 339-340

I am continually amazed at the number of places one can encounter God’s food for the soul.