This post is from Alan Melton on how the 23rd Psalm teaches us to care for and protect our children. He co-wrote the book Disciple Like Jesus For Parents. You can find out more about this ministry and find other helpful resources at www.disciplelikejesus.com . _ ah
23rd Psalm Parenting
In addition to describing the attributes of our Lord and Savior, this beautiful Psalm teaches us much about how we are to care for and protect our children. We are to protect them like Jesus protected the twelve. Jesus showed us how to make disciples and then commanded us to do the same.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Here we see the provision of the shepherd. Most parents are good at providing food, shelter, and transportation to their children. But what provision do you personally make for your children’s spiritual knowledge? What training are you providing in how to interact with others? How are you providing for them in the area of ministry involvement? What is your provision in teaching them to discern good versus evil?
Take personal responsibility for not only their temporal needs but also their eternal needs.
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” This verse speaks of rest, nourishment, and refreshment. In the midst of the dizzying pace of our present world, do you provide a place of respite for your family? Do you and your children ever stop to catch your breath in a place of safety, solitude, and peace? When God created the earth, He ordained rest every seven days. How often does your family rest? Do your children have a quiet time with the Lord?
Ensure that your family gets rest, refreshment, and time with God.
“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Since the fall of Adam and Eve people have needed restoration on a continual basis; we fall off God’s path and choose our own. Like sheep we are prone to wander. All of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and we sin constantly. However, His word tells us that we simply need to confess our sins to be forgiven and restored to fellowship with the Lord (1 John. 1:8). Restoration allows us to get back on the path that our Lord has placed in front of us. Do you provide loving correction for your children and then restore their souls? Do you forgive and choose not to bring your children’s sin before them again? Do you show your children where you have wandered off God’s path and then received restoration from the Father? Do you lead them in the path of righteousness?
Provide loving restoration to your children and lead them into righteous living.
“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.” There is no doubt that in this troubled, fallen world that we all will encounter peril of some sort. Whether the peril is disease, or crime, or temptation, or simply traveling down the road, we and our children are constantly at risk to some degree. We all know that the enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy. The actions that we take to deal with these perils will determine in large measure whether or not the enemy has victory over our family. The reason that no fear exists in the valley of the shadow of death is the fact that the shepherd is with His sheep and He has some tools at His disposal. The “rod and staff” mentioned here was likely the same tool with different applications. The rod was used to keep the sheep from hurting each other and to keep them within the fold in a place of protection. The staff was used as a weapon to beat back the wolves when they tried to devour the sheep. Parents, are you with your children so that you may protect them? Do you lovingly discipline your children to keep them in the protective care of God’s fold? Do you use weapons or strategies to defend your children from the numerous wolves that exist in the world?
Be with your children so that you may protect them. Lovingly use the rod and fiercely use the staff.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My
cup runs over”. Shepherds needed to prepare new pastures for their sheep once the existing pasture had been removed of the grass and foliage by the hungry sheep. The “enemies” included not only wolves but also poisonous weeds. Therefore, the shepherd would “prepare a table” for His flock. The meaning of anoint is associated with blessing; the Shepherd’s diligence in preparation is a blessing to His flock. Parents, do you plan in advance the places you will take your children, the activities that they will engage in, the curriculum they will be studying, and the peers they will be associating with? What will your children read, watch, listen to, and engage in?
Prepare in advance the environment where your children will live and the influences in which they will be immersed. Create a culture of blessing in your children’s lives by your diligent planning and preparation.
Here is the payoff for the faithful Shepherd and His sheep; for the faithful parent and her children. The children and parents will be blessed with mercy and goodness for the length of their lives. Most importantly, they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Parents, I know that you want your children to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. You would not be reading this blog if you were not concerned about the spiritual condition of your children. If you will follow Jesus in the way that you shepherd your children, you can know that you have done everything you can for your children to ensure that the Lord will grant them goodness, mercy, and eternal life. While we can’t know with certainty the Lord’s sovereign will for our children’s lives, we can rest knowing that we have been obedient to His calling.
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Soli Deo Gloria
ah
