Beside Quiet Waters: Psalm 23Sample

For his name’s sake

One of the biggest changes for me mentally as a mom has been a shift in identity. My kids have become, in a way, part of me. I see this identification expressed in little ways, such as the fact that I apologize if my baby spits up on a friend or if my toddler is too rough with another child. It’s as if they are an extension of me. This identification also means that I am devoted to loving and helping my children grow. They are mine, and so I am committed to parenting them.

How beautiful is it that God expresses this sense of identification with us as our Heavenly Father? “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake,” the Psalmist David says in Psalm 23:3.

God has united himself to us, so much so that our lives are reflections of his name. We can be certain that God will care for us and empower us to walk in his ways, not because we merit it but simply because we are his.

In Psalm 106:8, the Psalmist reflects on God parting a sea to save his people from the Egyptian army, saying, “Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power.” When parting the sea, God did not save his people because they were good or impressive or even devoted to him. He saved them to make his power known. We see this idea reflected in Psalm 23. God leads us in a way that showcases his name.

Today, be confident that God will lead you in paths of righteousness - that he will empower you to walk in his ways - because he is committed to his glory, and as his child, you share the family name.