He Prepares & Pursues
His goodness is running after us every day of our lives.
We started this series on Psalm 23 three weeks ago with the acknowledgement that motherhood is often difficult and wearying, and we tend to crave comfort and rest. So we’ve been reading through Psalm 23 through the lens of motherhood, looking for the ways that God restores our souls and gives us the hope and perspective we need to keep going.
And these final verses of this beautiful psalm hold some of the richest treasures for us moms who are feeling the overwhelm and weariness today. Let’s jump right in, because naptime doesn’t last long!
Psalm 23:5 says,
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
How does this verse apply to moms who are desperate for peace and soul-filling?
Let’s start with this question: Who (or what) are the enemies?
No, my friend, it’s NOT your kids, though they sometimes feel like it!
Our enemies are self-pity, discontentment, frustration, anger, and fear. The constant demands of being a mom can heighten these internal enemies if they are left unchecked, until they loom large in our minds and hearts, making it hard for us to be the joyful, purposeful, wise moms that God wants us to be. Self-pity and fear and all the others can make it hard for us to hear the voice of our Shepherd leading us in righteousness.
But He prepares a table. What is this table?
It is a celebration feast! It is a declaration of victory! It is a table of safety and refreshment that we can enjoy even as the battle rages around us. It is a table where we sit with our Savior and savor his provision for us.
This table is an incredible soul-filling spread of everything we have in Christ: salvation, peace with God, hope in Heaven, truth in His Word, encouragement for our hearts, the palate-cleanser of conviction, and the rich dessert of His perfect love. Even the delights of motherhood adorn this table, as we think about what beautiful gifts these children are to us, with their smiles, their soft little hands, their souls blooming in our homes.
We are invited to join Christ at this table when the enemies of sin and discouragement are doing battle for our minds and hearts. Isn’t it amazing that instead of a weapon to fight our enemies, we are given here a feast?
In Revelation 3:19-21, Jesus says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my father on his throne.”
So when the toddler is screaming, the fourth-grader is crying over math homework, the brothers are fighting again, and you haven’t had much – if any – time for “self-care” in a long time, we are invited to make the difficult but faith-filled choice to open the door to Jesus by turning our minds to Him rather than dwelling on our circumstances, to sit down at a feast with Him even just for 30 seconds, with our eyes closed to the chaos, to let him remind us that we are His own, and to let Him remind us of his promises.
Talk about soul-filling! “My cup overflows,” indeed!
And the goodness doesn’t end there.
“We are invited to make the difficult but faith-filled choice to open the door to Jesus by turning our minds to Him rather than dwelling on our circumstances, to sit down at a feast with Him...”
The last verse of this psalm sings:
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
That word “follow” literally means “pursue.” God’s goodness and love PURSUE us, chase us down, and, like a good shepherd does, bring us home on His shoulders.
His love is relentless. His goodness is running after us every day of our lives.
He is constantly and faithfully preparing green pastures and quiet waters for us, guiding us in the best paths, walking with us through pain and difficulty, protecting our souls from danger, bringing us back when we wander, inviting us to savor His presence, and preparing a place for us to enjoy Him forever.
There will be a day when all the exhaustion and difficulty of motherhood will be a distant memory.
Revelation 21.3-4 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making all things new!”
When I think about all that goodness, my cup overflows. My soul is restored. I can go back into my day of mothering with my spirit renewed and my perspective changed. I’m so thankful that He cares for my soul in such rich, lasting, and deep ways.
“There will be a day when all the exhaustion and difficulty of motherhood will be a distant memory. ”
All I have to do is be a sheep who hears and follows the voice of her Good Shepherd.
In light of all this, perhaps you can say with me as we prepare to dive back into our day of caring for our children:
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I LACK NOTHING.
(You can read more about the GLORY that God is creating in us and for us in Chapter 10 of Brighter. To be honest, I think that’s my favorite chapter. I hope it encourages you as well.)
