Beside Quiet Waters: Psalm 23Sample

The Good Shepherd

It’s five pm. I’m stirring a pot of boiling water with one hand while holding my baby girl in the other arm. My three-year-old boy is hanging onto one of my legs begging for me to play with him. That is, until he gets bored and decides to get my attention by purposefully having an accident on the floor. I set the baby down and run my toddler to the bathroom while I hear cries from the kitchen. Oh no, did the baby climb into the cabinet again? I rush back to the kitchen to check on her and save the pot from boiling over. I hope the kids eat the vegetables tonight because the pediatrician said they weren’t getting enough fiber. Speaking of the pediatrician, did I schedule the one-year-old checkup? My toddler opens the back door and runs outside while I instruct him sternly to come back in. He doesn’t. Do I let it go, or do I let the dinner burn and discipline him?

And so goes another average evening in the Thweatt household…

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, and I adore being a mom! However, there are moments it can all feel like too much. Stewarding the life of another human being and the vast array of their physical, emotional and spiritual needs can feel like such a heavy responsibility. I wonder, can you relate?

Written by King David as a psalm of thanksgiving for God’s provision, Psalm 23 uses the imaginary of a shepherd and his sheep. In many ways, like me, you might resonate with the job of a shepherd in your season of motherhood. Just as a shepherd’s job is to care for his sheep, as moms, our job is to vigilantly care for and protect our children. Psalm 23, however, is an invitation to assume the role of a sheep under the care of God, our Good Shepherd. This Psalm exhorts us to not forget that while we care for our children, God is caring for us.

In the exhaustion and demands of motherhood, Psalm 23 invites you to draw near to God, your Good Shepherd, and let him care for and nurture you. Throughout this devotional series, we’ll explore what God’s care looks like and how we might find rest in it. But for today, just remember this: it’s not all on you. When you feel weak or weary, you can fall back upon God to sustain you and your family.