There is Hope!

He restores my soul.

Psalm 23:4

The worries of daily life sometimes cause us to feel cast down, helpless, and alone. Isolated from others. Isolated from the Good Shepherd. A sheep becomes “cast down” by lying down in a small depression in the ground. The sheep gets stuck, unable to get up, separated from the flock, separated from the shepherd. But the Good Shepherd knows…. He sees.

“A cast sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to stand up, without success. Sometimes it will bleat a little for help, but generally it lies there lashing about in fright and frustration. If the owner does not arrive on the scene within a reasonable time, the sheep will die.”

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

Phillip Keller

Sheep carrying a thick woolen coat often catch the added weight of mud and other debris. This causes a problem for sheep seeking rest. As the sheep lies down on uneven ground, the extra weight causes the sheep to become cast down… flaying helplessly, struggling to stand, frightened and alone.

I relate to this image. Sometimes I feel the added weight of sorrows and hurt. Sometimes I feel cast down. The world’s brokenness seems to grow deeper by the day. Friends and family struggle… wounded by loss, failed health, and uncertainty. Hate rages on the evening news. Tears often seem close to the surface… the shadow of pain, loss, and sin weighing heavy. Do you feel it too? Do you sometimes feel cast down? Are you, as I am, in need of restoration?

Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.

Luke 15:4-5

The Good Shepherd knows when a sheep is cast down. The Good Shepherd knows…. He sees. He constantly scans the skies…looking for the circling prey. The Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the lost… and He rejoices. The Good Shepherd knows our struggles. He sees us. He gives us hope and restores us to Him…. If you feel cast down, don’t give up. There is hope! Look to the Good Shepherd....He restores my soul.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

My help and my God.

Psalm 42:11

W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2007), 69-82.