…as one who laments his mother,
I bowed down in mourning. – Psalm 35:14
Mourning
David is devastated. The King (Saul) whom he loves is jealously pursuing him, seeking to put him to death. In his passion to eliminate David, Saul has stirred up other enemies against him. Enemies that David accuses of laying traps for him and bearing false witness against him. David is devastated because his enemies have repaid him evil for good (v. 12). Their behavior manifests their ungratefulness. But it not only manifests their ungratefulness, it stands in stark contrast against David’s attitude towards them.
13 But I, when they were sick—
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I bowed down in mourning.
Filial Grief
When David describes his attitude toward his enemies, he uses terms of humility and intimacy. When his enemies were in need, David humbled himself before God by adorning himself in sackcloth, denying himself with fasting, and petitioning his Creator with bowed head. David’s grief was not feigned.
The sadness David felt was extremely intimate. He equates his grief with that of loosing a friend or a brother. Or worst of all, as one who has lost a mother. For many, the deepest kind of grief we will experience. It is a grief that is singularly intense and painful. One that nothing can prepare us for.
Mother’s Day
We just observed another mother’s day a couple of weeks ago. For my wife and I it was bittersweet. For the first time in our married life, we had no mother to visit. As I wrote in August, Behold Your Mother, my worst childhood fear became a reality as my mother lost her battle with cancer. My mother in law passed away in 2000 as the result of an accident.
“Motherless”, we had to observe mother’s day differently than we have in the past. There would be no flower basket to purchase to hang on mom’s porch. There would be no pizza to order after an afternoon of visiting. The days of honoring our mothers in their presence have now passed us by. Instead, there would be memories of Mother Days past.
Memories
The death of any loved one is sure to precipitate memories of the deceased. But our mother is not “just” any loved one. She is a special gift from God given a great blessing from Him.
We have but one mother who bore us and nurtured us. We have but one mother who loved us with the closest thing we will witness to a Godly love this side of Heaven. Unconditional.
The Bible tells us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Who in our lives does this better than our mothers? Our mothers are truly interested in every aspect of our lives. While others may be interested only in the highs and lows of our lives, nothing is too insignificant for our mothers. While others may be indifferent to the details of our lives, our mothers are certain to express an interest. When we can talk to or turn to nobody else, we can always count on our mothers. There is truly something very unique and special about the relationship of a mother and her child.
Character
When a fragile spirit has been crushed by an evil world and harsh words it is the affectionate embrace of a mother that can make things “right” again. When a child scrapes his knee, it is his mother who tenderly cares for his wounds. How many hurts have been mended by the healing qualities of a mother’s tears?
When we were in need, it was our mother who was willing to sacrifice so that we might have. How often did your mother place your needs above her own? Like the excellent wife described in Proverbs 31, who rises while it is yet night to provide food for her household, our mothers exemplify self-denial.
I believe a mother most clearly sees the potential of a child, accordingly, she will never “give up”on them. With an unwavering patience, she grooms her children to enable them to be all that God intended. While the rest of the world might perceive an unruly seed, a mother patiently waters and prunes as the seed grows into a beautiful flower for God’s garden.
Prayer
In one week I will be walking my second born daughter down the aisle and giving her away in marriage. Like this past Mother’s Day, I know this too will be a bittersweet day. It is never easy watching the children you love so dearly leave the “nest”, but we know it is part of God’s design.
All of our children are a gift from God (Psalm 127). Like Hannah (1 Samuel 1:27), we cried out to God that He would grant us children and He granted our petition. Our prayers for children evolved into prayers for their faith and then prayers for the faith of their future spouses. Again, God has granted our petitions. But our prayers are not done.
For my daughters, I pray that God will grant them the privilege of motherhood. Although my wife and I may no longer have the blessing of spending Mother’s Day with our mothers, we can honor them by instilling in our daughters the profound but simple truth; motherhood is a special gift from God. What is more important than raising eternal souls for God’s Kingdom?
I can’t wait to get to heaven and see all of the beautiful flowers you have nurtured for His garden. Until then, I am going to enjoy the Mothers God has raised up under my own roof, starting new traditions and cherishing old memories.
God bless our mothers. May your children rise up an call you blessed (Proverbs 31:28)!