HE RESTORES MY SOUL

The Hebrew word for be refreshed is ‘vayinafesh’ וינפש.  This comes from the word ‘nefesh’ נפש which means ‘soul’.  This is the word used in Psalm 23:1 “YAHWEH is my shepherd; I shall not lack.” Verse 3 “He restores my soul; He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” It can also mean ‘breath’ or ‘to be breathed upon’.  When YHWH breathed upon Adam in the Garden of Eden, he became a living soul (‘nefesh chaya’).

Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions – existing, surviving, but not really ‘living’?!  I know I have.  We can be walking, breathing, shopping, working, cleaning, taking care of the kids, doing all the things we do, but we may not feel alive.  Life may seem to have lost its purpose and passion.  

Yahshua came to give us an abundant life – far and above and beyond mere basic existence.  It takes the breath of YAHWEH to breathe life into our soul so that we may really come to life – filled to overflowing with His Spirit. We are not just physical beings; we are also emotional, mental and spiritual.  It takes a harmony of all these aspects of our being to feel truly satisfied and complete.  

YAHWEH has given us the Sabbath (Shabbat) to stop all our mundane, daily activities – so we may rest in order that not just our bodies but our ‘souls’ would also be refreshed. HE gives us Shabbat to remind us that we have a soul – a nefesh – that also needs some care and attention.