By Rev.Daniel Yaw

Introduction
The month of May is about remembering mothers. In the US, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year.

The idea started in America when a woman called Anna Jarvis held a small memorial service for her mother on 12 May 1907.

Soon after, most places in America were observing the day and in 1914, the US president made it a national holiday, celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

Today, most of the world sets apart this day to remember mothers.

What then are we to remember about them?

A Picture of Quiet Strength
Proverbs 31 was written by King Lemuel who wrote down some great sayings about mothers.  The writings were inspired by the utterance of his mother.  In that long chapter, King Lemuel honored women in general and mothers in particular as filled with dignity, wisdom, enterprising, diligent, and many others.  Among them is the aspect of strength and dignity in verse 25 – “She is clothed with strength and dignity;  she can laugh at the days to come.”

Most of the time, by nature we would think of women as delicate, and yet their strength and resilience are unparalleled.  They exhibit spiritual and emotional strength.  We can understand why they are made to bear and deliver babies.  In life, they are those who have greater resilience.  Proverbs 31:25 simply made a profound statement in these words – she can laugh at the days to come.”

A Picture of Nurturing and Relationship.
Another great nature of women and mothers is that they are natural nurturers.  Throughout their motherhood, they occupied themselves with compassion, love, and care.  They care for their husbands, their children, and oftentimes at the expense of themselves.

When God wanted to express his care in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and New, mother‘s are beings used.
When Israel complained that God had forgotten and forsaken them and questioned the love of God, Isaiah the prophet spoke in Isaiah 49:15, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

In the New Testament, Jesus himself described his love for His people as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings, Matthew 23:37, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

A Picture Purposeful Partners
When God created man, he also created a “helper”, someone who would walk alongside man for the rest of his life.  A partner with purpose, the woman is to share in the work with the man to keep the garden and to multiply and bring up the children in the ways of God.  Though it did not work out in the Garden of Eden, that same role did not stop after the fall.  She is still the purposeful partner to serve together with the man and bring the children up in the fear of the Lord.

Mothers have always been a powerful influence in the lives of children today.  Biblical examples can be seen in Eunice and Lois, the mother and grandmother of Timothy, a great servant of God in the Bible.

Hannah, the mother of the greatest prophet in the Old Testament – Samuel，who offered him at a young and tender age to the Lord to serve Him.

Jochebed, the mother of Moses, somewhat felt that her little boy would be someone used by God one day and later became the deliverer of the people of Israel from the land of slavery. Naomi is another character who became a favorite mother-in-law amidst horrible stories of mothers and daughters-in-law.  Ruth was drawn to her and her God and later though a Gentile, became a proselyte and was in the ancestry line of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion
I can go on and on in scriptures, great examples who became great inspirations to all mothers.  Once again in 2024, allow me to honor and thank all mothers and wish you all a blessed Mother’s day, and may you be recorded in the bible of our minds. 
 

By Rev. Daniel Yaw

Introduction
This is my conclusion on the meditation on Psalm 23.  The last statement that King David made was that he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever – “and I will dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

Reading this statement, we inevitably ask the question – is that possible?  David is still alive and in fact, he was still a young lad during the time he was writing these words.  What did he mean?

In Psalm 27, he expressed the same desire – one single passion of David that he sought after.  Only one thing that he sought, and that is his desire to be in the house of the Lord forever, to inquire in his temple and to gaze upon his beauty.
So what does that mean?  Two main thoughts came to my mind as I read those words.

Inhabit
The word “dwell”, means to inhabit, to stay for good, and to be at home.  When King David started the psalm, his theme was that Jehovah God would be his Shepherd who would walk with him.  And then he ended by saying that he wants to walk with this Shepherd all the days of his life.

He found the preciousness of such a Shepherd and he would not let Him go.  Thus, he made this statement.

From our perspective today – it is indeed possible as it is promised where David looked forward in faith.  Jesus promised his presence with us, never to leave us nor forsake us.  And if God is for us, indeed there is nothing that can come against us.

Based on what he revealed that goodness and mercy shall follow him, he knows therefore that he will be in the presence of God forever.

The house here simply means the Tabernacle, the place of worship and the presence of God.  As his desire to be in God’s presence goes, he has decided that it would be his home as well.  To inhabit the presence of God was his one pursuit in life.

In praise
What would one do in the presence of God?  It is a place of praise indeed to the Almighty and yet passionate God.  In Psalm 27, he mentioned two things namely, to inquire in his temple and to behold his beauty.

These two things talk about the ability to find counsel in God – to trust in God’s direction, to depend on God’s wisdom, to allow his word, his command, and even his rebuke to govern his life.  That is what it means to inquire in his temple.  To know that God is always there when I need Him.  Is that not what we all desire?  How often I wished my God would just tell me what to do with my life and ministry.

The other aspect is to behold his beauty – or to bring our adoration to him.  When I think of home, coming home is a joy.  We have this phrase, “Home sweet home”, meaning that this is the most comforting place at the end of a hard’s day work.  We often hear ourselves saying, “Nothing like home!”  I hope that is true of most of us.  Today, we know that many men would avoid going home.  How sad when it is no longer home sweet home.  What do we find ourselves doing when we cannot find our home sweet?  I know that what we will find ourselves doing is either unpleasant or unrighteous.

However, when we know we have a wife who is waiting to serve us, a place where we can unburden ourselves, and find good food and company – indeed it will be “home sweet home”.  That is what David meant as well.  To be in the house of God in praise because we have a God who fills our hearts with peace and joy.

Conclusion
May his psalm be such an encouragement to all of you and bring true comfort, not just being read at funeral services but filling our hearts at all times.  Yes, it may always be an all-time favorite psalm because of the Shepherd we have.  Stay blessed in the presence of God.
 

By Rev. Daniel Yaw 

‘Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,’  Psalm 23:6a
 
This is the last verse of the psalm that we have come to meditate and I hope by now you are falling in love with our great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
With the Lunar New Year celebration, we are probably all filled with much joy in our different ways – the opportunity to be with family in a grander way, the joy of visiting friends and relatives, the joy of having a rest from the busyness of work and on top of all these the exchange of wonderful greetings that we hear.
 
And of course, the greatest of all greetings and blessings come from the Lord himself.  Today, as I look into part of verse 6, is the joy and amazement of God’s mercy and grace.  The month of March will also be the month when we look forward to remembering the Lord’s passion for the world in his death and resurrection.
 
I would call this part of the psalm “The Pursuing goodness of God.”
 
We know this popular song, “His Goodness is running after me.”  What does that song mean?  I believe it comes also in this verse – that His mercy and goodness shall follow me all the days of my life.
 
The Pursuing Goodness
The two elements used here are mercy and goodness.  Briefly explaining these two words, mercy is the idea that is complimentary or even opposite of justice.  In other words, instead of showing us justice, his mercy follows me.  Can you imagine what it would be like if God’s justice followed me all the days of my life?  Of late the politics and politicians of our country are emphasizing so much on justice and stamping out corruption.  If one is guilty, it must be stressful because justice is following him.
 
Think of that for a moment that we being sinners before God and God will pursue us with his justice, we will be left filled with fear all the days of our lives.
 
However, the psalmist says it is the mercy of God that is following us all the days of my life.  What joy that is to us!
 
The other word is goodness.  Goodness is the idea of God giving us what we don’t deserve.  It is kindness shown despite what we are and what we have done.  The thought is that all things that come from God are good and even if bad things happen to us, the goodness of God will shine through.
We can easily list down all the things that we do not want happening in our lives but they do come.  Yet the Lord’s goodness can and will be manifested if we trust in Him and follow Him.  That is His promise. 
 
These two elements run after us or follow us.  The picture that is used is that of sheepdogs that guard the sheep from straying and they run after them.  The names of these sheepdogs of God are mercy and goodness.
 
“With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now, I give You everything, Your goodness is running, it's running after me”
 
The Persistent Goodness
My attention also goes to the words, “surely” and “all the days of my life”.  This is the persistence of God’s goodness upon us.
 
There is certainty and security in these two words.  What more can we ask of God?  As I think of the reason, the answer is found on God’s part, never on my part.  It is his mercy and goodness that can cause this to happen.  If it had to depend on how I live, and who I am, then there is no longer any guarantee.  However, the surety and the persistence of being with us every day till the day I breathe my last breath is solely dependent on God.
 
So God’s goodness will not only run after me, but surely, and all the days of my life.
 
Conclusion
Let us run with our Lord and surrender to Him – only to follow Him in all that He asks and desires of us.  Surrender everything to him, all the good and all the “bad” as well.  May His mercy and goodness follow you all the days of your life.