“He makes me to lie down in green pastures…he restores my soul.” (King David) Psalm 23:2,3

“God is a God of restoration. When we place the broken pieces of our lives in His hands, He restores them to a beauty that far outshines the former.” Author Unknown

Devotional by Pam Benedict

Like most young couples, when Steve and I started out marriage in 1991, we had lots of love but very little money. We had so little disposable income that we furnished our first apartment with donations from our parents and grandparents. I called our decorating style “Early Eclectic”.

One of the pieces we “inherited” was a 1970’s large maple coffee table that Steve’s parents had used and enjoyed for many years in their home. We took good care of it and displayed some of our favorite collectibles on it, but over the years it got bumped by toys, dinged by movers, and began to show wear. Eventually we carried it downstairs to the family room where it became a table for Lego creations, games, and snacks. Soon new scratches appeared along with several water glass rings that no one wanted to claim. I covered it with a runner, moved it into a corner, and it became a pile spot for videos, Play Station & Wii controllers, and dust.

After our son Josh graduated from college, I offered the coffee table to him for the house he was sharing with 4 other guys. Needless to say, it gathered a few more dents and dings along the way. When he & Alaina got engaged in 2019, he decided that he would try to refinish it. I was skeptical that the table had much life left in it but was glad he had a project to try. Josh consulted with Steve and borrowed his sander, bought sandpaper, paint brushes, stain, and plastic sheeting.

And then began the hard work of restoration. First, he taped plastic to the floor and sliding glass door of his 2^nd floor porch, so the debris didn’t get into his apartment or shower down on his neighbors below. Then he spent hours with the sander taking off the varnish and buffing out the dings and water stains. Next, he switched to a finer grade sandpaper to smooth the surface. Steve joined him one Saturday to hand sand the spindles on the lower shelf. After carefully wiping away every speck of dust so the surface was smooth and clean, they applied a dark espresso stain, wiped it off, and let it dry overnight. The following day Josh repeated the stain & drying process. And several days later finished with 2 coats of high gloss polyurethane.

When Josh showed me the transformation, I was shocked and thrilled that the newly restored piece was more beautiful than the original.  After much hard work, the worn 1970’s coffee table was transformed into a sleek, modern table that could have been displayed in a contemporary furniture store.

Have you ever felt like an old coffee table badly in need of restoration?  David did. After years of hiding from King Saul, battling the Philistines, and running from his son Absalom, David felt tired, worn, used and betrayed. He had battle scars physically as well as emotionally. And while a doctor could tend to his physical wounds, he knew that the LORD his Shepherd was the only one who could heal his emotional wounds. He wrote about this in multiple psalms.

Psalms 23:3 “The LORD restores my soul”.

Psalm 34:18 “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 147:3“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Life is hard.  But God wants to heal and renew us.  Like a master craftsman he will tenderly and yet purposefully restore us. So, when someone carelessly puts their glass on your heart and leaves a water stain, know that you have a God who cares. He sees the dings of hurtful remarks, the gashes from abuse you survived, and the deep scratches from disappointments and betrayal. And he knows your grief and gently says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Sit still with Him and let His Word soak deep into the cracks of your soul the way the stain soaked into the surface of the coffee table.

After watching the transformation of that old coffee table into a beautiful piece of furniture and experiencing him comfort and heal my own broken heart, I know that restoration is possible. Do you believe that your Good Shepherd can restore your soul?