Soul Repair

I was reading a devotional from Beth Moore and she mentioned that in a language she was studying there was no word for devotion. The closest translation she could find was “soul repair.” I like that definition because that is what really happens when we pull away from the world to meet with the Lord.

The effects of everyday life on the soul are often painful. Sin takes a toll wounding the soul. Rebellion makes the soul harder and less sensitive to the working of the Spirit. The sin of others pangs the soul leaving it withered and in need of repair. The glittering and tantalizing stuff of this world relentlessly competes with the affections of our soul for Christ.

That is why it is vital that we pull away into the secret place to sit with the Lord and let Him do repair on our souls. As I sit before Him I need Him to breathe His Spirit back into my soul reviving it and reinvigorating it. I need the fresh wind of God to fan the embers of my soul until my heart is burning.

My soul constantly needs repair. Yesterday I preached my heart out in both services. I was so spent after the Sunday morning service that I quietly slipped away after the service to the solitude and sanctuary of my office to recharge in prayer. I was late getting home for lunch because my soul needed some repairing after a heart felt message on calling the church to be a praying church. There I was to worship along with hundreds of others but afterward I needed soul repair after preaching my guts out. The only place to find soul repair is in secret devotions. Yes, we need corporate worship but worshipping along with the throngs of people cannot substitute for our private times with the Lord.

Here it is early on Monday morning and again my soul needs repair to go after His purposes for today and the remainder of this week. Nothing I do today will be more important than spending time with the Lord and allowing Him to go to work on my soul to make the necessary repairs.

Our souls are like a vehicle going into a mechanic for a tune up and repairs so they can operate at peak levels. The only trouble is that far too many children of God live day in and day out without ever spending time letting the Lord making necessary repairs to their souls. What happens as a result is people limp along being tripped up by sin, distracted by the glitz and glamour of this world, and trudging into worship week after week with dulled affections and a soul on life support.

It is not new. It is elementary in fact. For all of us the key to overcoming this world and being effective for the Lord is as simple as maintaining regular devotions. We all need soul repair and there are no short cuts to get it. Call it having quiet times. Refer it to as secret devotions. Call it what you will but if we want our soul to experience God in optimum ways we must meet with Him in seclusion to cultivate that relationship day in and day out.

Lord, I ask you to repair my soul today. Come what may I trust you to recharge my soul and bring the repairs needed so I can serve you more effectively.