The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. NKJV

 

This message was preached May 11, 2003, at FBC Toulon, by Albert Harmon. See it at ToulonBaptist.com  

A Mother's recorded conservation.

When God created Adam & Eve it says He created them in His image and afer His likeness. Well in mothers that is seen very clearly. All of the best qualities of Motherhood come from God's character. As David tells us the qualities of His shepherd we will find that the best of a Godly Mother.

1. I shall not want.
   1. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
      1. To the sheep this meant food for growth.
      2. For the family this means that and more.
      3. It means growth mentally and spiritually as well physically.
      4. Sorry to say that not all mothers are like God but some are.
         1. After years of hauling children, pets, groceries and camping gear, the family station wagon sputtered to a stop. My wife told me she was ready for a change, but I didn't realize how big a change until we got to the car dealer and she fell in love with a foreign sports car. I pointed out, "But honey, this eight-passenger wagon over here has power steering, luggage rack, and fold-down seats, all for the same price as the sports car." She glared resentfully at the big car. She snapped, "I don't like it." "But why not?" "It has 'Mother' written all over it!" --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 378.
      5. They look to the welfare of the family and not just their own.
         1. God loved us enough to give . . .
         2. Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without a doubt, one of England's greatest statesmen. --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 375.
      6. They set aside their own desires and goals to make their children and husband excel.
      7. The child, in the decisive first years of his life, has the experience of his mother as an all-enveloping, protective, nourishing power. Mother is food; she is love; she is warmth; she is earth. To be loved by her means to be alive, to be rooted, to be at home. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) -Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entries 7852-7853.
   2. He leads me beside the still waters.
      1. Now to the sheep this meant a satisfied thirst.
         1. For the sheep would not drink from fast flowing and turbulent streams.
         2. The peace of a quiet stream sometimes meant that the shepherd had to take rocks and make a dam across a stream in order to provided the quiet place to drink.
      2. Now in our turbulent days, mothers often go to great lengths to calm the lives of the one she loves.
      3. Bringing peace and security is not an easy task for often children are like frightened sheep.
      4. But as the shepherd prepares so that the sheep can have that measure of peace so does the mother for her own.
2. He restores my soul;
   1. The psalmist understood that life is a challenge and often we just run out of steam.
      1. But the mother can recharge with just a word, just a comment of praise.
      2. She understands the delicate nature of the soul of a child.
      3. She understands that she can crush it or give it life.
      4. She works to build that little one up, in order to give the assurance that we are pleased and even proud.
      5. Oh the damage that a critical word can do when a word of praise is in order.
   2. He leads me in the paths of righteousness
      1. But she also understands that the depth of the soul is not in the mental range.
      2. The depth of the soul lies in the spiritual.
         1. A godly mother not only trains the child to know her ABC's but to know God.
      3. God desires His children to be like Him because He knows that will bring the greatest happiness.
      4. The mother who is righteous instills in the child the need to be righteous.
         1. When all is said, it is the mother, and the mother only, who is a better citizen than the soldier who fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does her part in rearing and training aright the boys and girls who are to be the men and women of the next generation, is of greater use to the community, and occupies, if she would only realize it, a more honorable as well as a more important position than any man in it. The mother is the one supreme asset of the national life. She is more important, by far, than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist. Theodore Roosevelt --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 376.
      5. She sets the proper example, and expects the same.
3. I will fear no evil
   1. For You are with me;
      1. Mothers are such a source of security.
      2. Not because they are big and strong.
      3. Not because they are so resourceful.
      4. But just because they are there.
   2. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
      1. Mothers are equipped to bring up children.
      2. All her ways work for the child.
      3. Therefore they will not experience fear.
   3. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
      1. Even in the face of the enemies of life she will be there.
      2. Never get between a mother and her young.
4. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
   1. Mothers are good and merciful.
      1. They desire the good of the child.
      2. They have mercy when the child goes astray
   2. You anoint my head with oil;
   3. My cup runs over.
5. And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
   1. Mothers who are like God are concerned about the eternal welfare of the family.

John Todd was born in Rutledge, Vermont, into a family of several children. They later moved to the village of Killingsworth back in the early 1800s. And there, at a very young age, both John's parents died. The relatives wondered what they would do with so many children, how they could parcel them out to other friends and relatives. One dear and loving aunt said she would take little John. The aunt sent a horse and a slave to get John, who was only six at the time. The slave, Caesar, came and put the little boy on the back of the horse. On the way back an endearing conversation took place:

John: Will she be there?

Caesar: Oh, yes, she'll be there waiting up for you.

John: Will I like living with her?

Caesar: My son, you fall into good hands.

John: Will she love me?

Caesar: Ah, she has a big heart.

John: Will I have my own room? Will she let me have a puppy?

Caesar: She's got everything all set, son. I think she has some surprises, too.

John: Do you think she'll go to bed before we get there?

Caesar: Oh, no! She'll be sure to wait up for you. You'll see when we get out of these woods. You'll see her candle shining in the window.

When they got to the clearing, sure enough, there was a candle in the window and she was standing in the doorway. She reached down, kissed him, and said "Welcome home!" She fed him supper, took him to his room, and waited until he fell asleep. John Todd grew up to be a great minister of the gospel. But it was there at his aunt's, his new mother, that he grew up. It was always a place of enchantment because of his aunt. It awed him that she had given him a second home. She had become a second mother to him. Years later, long after he had moved away, his aunt wrote to tell him of her impending death. Her health was failing and she wondered what was to become of her. This is what John Todd wrote her:

"My Dear Aunt,

Years ago I left a house of death not knowing where I was to go, whether anyone cared, whether it was the end of me. The ride was long but the slave encouraged me. Finally, he pointed out your candle to me, and there we were in the yard and you embraced me and took me by the hand into my own room that you had made up. After all these years I still can't believe it--how you did all that for me! I was expected; I felt safe in that room--so welcomed. It was my room.

Now it's your turn to go, and as one who has tried it out, I'm writing to let you know that Someone is waiting up. Your room is all ready, the light is on, the door is open, and as you ride into the yard--don't worry, Auntie. You're expected! I know. I once saw God standing in your doorway--long ago!" --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 377.