“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3 (ESV)

In Psalm 23, the Bible says that God will restore your soul. But why does your soul need to be restored—and how can God restore it?

There are all kinds of ways that souls are damaged, but they most often are damaged when we try to deal with our grudges, our guilt, and our grief on our own. The truth is, God never intended for you to carry those burdens alone. So how does Jesus bring you rest and restore your soul?

Jesus turns your hurts into holiness.
times we hold onto our hurt; in other words, we hold grudges. And when you start thinking about retaliation or getting revenge against someone who’s hurt you, you become bitter.  

But you can trust God with your hurt. He has a way of bringing good even out of evil. Romans 8:28 promises, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (NIV).

Jesus takes your sins on himself.
You should only hold on to guilt for about five seconds—long enough to realize you were wrong, confess it to God, and let it go. But instead, many people carry around the burden of unconfessed guilt.

The Bible teaches, “[Jesus] was willing to give his life as a sacrifice. He was counted among those who had committed crimes. He took the sins of many people on himself. And he gave his life for those who had done what is wrong” (Isaiah 53:12 NIRV). There’s no need for you to keep living with guilt for something that God has already forgiven and forgotten. 

Jesus feels your grief and heals your heart.
Grief is good; it’s how we get through life transitions. But sometimes we get stuck in our grief. And unprocessed grief will hurt you. But there’s good news: Jesus understands your grief because he’s experienced it too.

Isaiah 53:3-4 says, “He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. . . . But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us” (NCV). But he doesn’t just feel your grief; he heals it: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NIV).

God never intended for you to go through life carrying all your grudges, guilt, and grief alone. Jesus wants you to come to him for restoration. He promises, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NLT).