Psalm 23:1–6; Isaiah 40:11; John 10:11
What does it mean to carry the heart of a guardian? On Mother's Day, Pastor Juliet Lyons shows that every person, not just mothers, is called to shepherd the people God has entrusted to them. Reading Psalm 23 as King David's end-of-life testimony rather than a feel-good poem, she unpacks how the Good Shepherd honors, provides, counsels, protects, disciplines, consecrates, and blesses, and reminds weary guardians that every shepherd needs a shepherd.
Key takeaways
- Every one of us is called to be a guardian who stewards and protects the people God has entrusted to us, and the enemy is actively working to sever families and relationships.
- Psalm 23 is not a cozy poem but a battle-scarred testimony, written by David at the end of a turbulent life and placed right after the crucifixion prophecy of Psalm 22.
- To say the Lord is my shepherd you must be in His flock; the promises of Psalm 23 belong to children of God, and you can only have one shepherd.
- A godly guardian honors, provides, creates safety and connection, counsels, protects, disciplines, consecrates, and blesses, regardless of whether the sheep say thank you.
- Every shepherd needs a shepherd; no one at any age has graduated from needing God's guardianship or godly mentors.
Message notes
We are all called to be guardians
Pastor Juliet opens by saying her Mother's Day message is for every person in the room. Each of us is called to steward and guard others, and because no one is perfect, we need a guide. Isaiah 40:11 pictures God tending His flock like a shepherd with a nurturing, maternal heart, and as He is, so are we in this world. She also names the enemy: Satan is coming for families, severing mothers from daughters, fathers from sons, husbands from wives. Fighting for our relationships, even imperfect ones, is a matter of survival, because we were wired for belonging.
God loves shepherds
Biblical shepherding was a 24/7 job. Shepherds stayed with their flock, were often undervalued, moved wherever the flock's needs took them, and had instincts fierce enough to kill lions and bears, much like a mother's the moment her first child is born. Scripture is full of shepherds: Abel, Abraham, Moses, David, the shepherds who first heard of Jesus' birth, and Peter, told to feed my sheep. The word pastor literally means shepherd, and Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
A psalm for the war-wounded
After reading Psalm 23 together, Pastor Juliet explains that David wrote it near the end of a turbulent life of high highs and depressive lows. It is his testimony, written in the present and continuous tense: God was this to me, is this to me, and will be. It was never meant to be a Hallmark psalm memorized to impress people. "This psalm is for the ones that have war wounds." Parents can be released: you do not have to be perfect, but you must be a good guardian. Its placement matters: Psalm 22 is the messianic prophecy of the crucifixion, and only after sitting in why have You forsaken me can we truly say the Lord is my shepherd.
Point one: you must be in His flock
To claim God as shepherd, you must believe you are His child. Not everyone who quotes this psalm should be quoting it. If you want the promises of Psalm 23, you must sit in the sheepfold of the God of Psalm 22 and let Him be Lord. Only then can He turn a heart of stone into the heart of a guardian.
Point two: you can only have one shepherd
It is impossible to live in the fold of the world and claim Psalm 23 on a bad day. John 1:12 says those who receive Him are given the right to become children of God; all people are God's creation, but not all are His children. Pastor Juliet pauses to speak to grieving mothers whose children have walked away from God, from them, or from this life: God knows exactly what it is to form a child in His likeness and watch that child reject Him. When you cry tears of grief, He is crying them too.
Point three: godly guardianship is not for the faint of heart
Walking through the psalm line by line, Pastor Juliet shows what a godly guardian does. A guardian honors, as David honestly depended on God. A guardian provides, as God gave David the showbread when he was starving. A guardian creates a safe place for connection and restores souls caught in fight or flight. A guardian counsels without controlling. A guardian protects, so that those under their care can take bigger risks. A guardian disciplines; David feared losing God's correcting presence more than his kingdom. A guardian consecrates, preparing a feast in the presence of enemies so the enemy knows who the victor is. And a guardian blesses, so the cup overflows. We do this regardless of whether the sheep acknowledge the sacrifice, because our reward is Jesus.
Point four: every shepherd needs a shepherd
To weary veterans who have carried the weight for years without thanks, Pastor Juliet prays they would see the Chief Shepherd covering them with honor, provision, rest, counsel, protection, discipline, consecration, and blessing. No one, at 5 or 105, has graduated from needing a shepherd. She closes with a story of disciplining her two-year-old daughter at the end of a long day, walking out exasperated, and hearing her young son tell his sister that mama's job is to love you and teach you right from wrong. In that moment she felt her Shepherd shepherding her. Don't stop pursuing the heart of a shepherd; we are meant to be the Jesus no one else can see.
