He Guides
God will guide us into the paths of righteousness, if we will let Him.
In last week’s post on how Psalm 23 can be applied to our mothering lives, we were reminded that we have a God who is the master of soul-care.
He restores our souls.
He does this by leading us in the green pastures of His Word and to the refreshing Living Water of His presence.
And as we’ll discover today, He also restores our souls by guiding us out of sin, walking with us along the path, and rescuing us from danger. God is our GOOD Shepherd, and as we learn to see ourselves as His little lambs, we will be better able to follow His loving guidance in our lives.
Let’s dive into part two of this three-part blog series on the way God cares for the souls of moms as we care for our little ones.
The second half of Psalm 23:2 says,
“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Is there anything more draining than the feeling of defeat that follows our sinful choices as parents? When we get frustrated and angry at our kids, or let anxiety dictate our choices, or speak unkindly about someone in the hearing of our children, we often feel the conviction instantly. Perhaps you too have lived the irony of shouting, "Everyone just CALM DOWN!" at your kids, and realized your error immediately.
Our children are watching us. We are their example of faith and the ones who determine, in large part, their view of God. His reputation is at stake, and his character should be on display. So in those moments of frustration or anxiety, we will hear our Shepherd's gentle voice saying, "No, not that way, my little lamb. Stay on the path."
Isaiah 30:21 says, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"
And then when we hear that Voice, we again have to choose to follow. We have to make the choice not to give in to our sinful habits that so often entangle us and to instead speak words of kindness and faith and wisdom. God will guide us into the paths of righteousness, if we will let Him. We must follow our Shepherd into righteous words and actions in order to lift His reputation HIGH in our children's eyes.
But even when we are walking the right path, the way will not always be easy. The next verse of Psalm 23 says,
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
We mothers know the frustration and exhaustion of dark nights in the nursery with a baby who won’t sleep. I remember spending many such nights pleading with the Lord that my baby would sleep so I could sleep, wrestling with Him in desperation. I felt weary, miserable, and to be honest, angry. I remember being so honest with God about my doubts that my soul felt exhausted too. But I was spending time with Him, my soul bared and open before Him. I was getting to know Him better. I was learning to rely on Him in my desperation. Would I really rather have been sleeping through all that glory? I was learning that spending time with my Shepherd on the difficult path was better than always having it easy and comfortable.
“Our trials make us intensely aware of our Savior’s presence, if we are willing to turn to Him in the midst of them.”
Our trials make us intensely aware of our Savior’s presence, if we are willing to turn to Him in the midst of them. Whatever challenges afflict your parenting journey – teething, tiredness, defiance, illness, disability, even death – your Shepherd is walking with you through them. He is using them to cause you to walk close to His side for protection and guidance. Get close to Him in those difficulties, let Him carry you when necessary, and revel in how near He is when the path is darkest.
Psalm 34:18 promises that, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
And Isaiah 40:11 comforts us with the knowledge that “He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
Isn’t any challenge worth it in order to be nearer to God and to feel His tender care for you?
As we carry our babies, our strong Savior is carrying us.
“As we carry our babies, our strong Savior is carrying us.”
But again, we have to choose to turn to our Shepherd for comfort when we walk through disappointment and discouragement and heartache, rather than turning to the shallow idol of “me-time” to get us through. An extra brownie and a three-hour binge of your favorite show will not soothe your heart and restore your soul as He alone can. Self-pity will only prolong the misery. Only a recognition that the Lord is near, that He has promised to give us all we need, and that He will protect us can soothe our weary hearts.
In fact, that's what the next phrase of Psalm 23 talks about.
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Think about what you often turn to for comfort when motherhood feels overwhelming. Where does this verse say true comfort comes from?
The shepherd’s rod is for fending off attackers, those wild beasts and bandits who would kill, steal, and destroy the flock. God's Word is His rod of protection in our lives, defending us from the lies of the world.
The shepherd’s staff, or crook, is for pulling a sheep out of the muck or up from a cliffside where it has fallen. It is the instrument of salvation for a wayward sheep. We too can be comforted that when we wander off, seeking comfort and peace in the wrong places, God will seek us out and bring us back. His staff of salvation is a comfort to us as we feel him rescuing us from the messes we’ve gotten ourselves into. He seeks us and finds us when we are lost, and his love turns us around in repentance.
“He seeks us and finds us when we are lost, and his love turns us around in repentance.”
Romans 2:4 reminds us that God seeks us out in kindness in order to bring us back: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
Repentance is not just for the day of salvation when you chose to let Jesus be your Savior. It is a practice we should engage in regularly as God’s Word and Spirit convict us. Repentance means to turn around, to change course. Whenever we notice that we are veering off the path that our Shepherd is leading us on, we should remember His goodness and make the steps necessary to follow Him more closely. Let the abundance of His kindness – His provision and protection and Presence – lead you to repentance today.
My prayer is that learning to read Scripture through the lens of motherhood will bring the Word to life for you! God’s Word truly is living and active, and it is meant for YOU, right where you are, in this season of motherhood. Keep letting God’s Word light your path!
Part three of this series on Psalm 23 will be coming next week, so keep growing brighter until then!
