The first time I heard Bobby McFerrin's "The 23rd Psalm (dedicated to my mother)," I did a double double-take. I did a first double take when I heard the female references to God, and did another double take when I saw who the composer was: Bobby McFerrin, of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" fame. The piece was hauntingly beautiful, conveying a stunning picture of God as a careful, caring mother. Indeed, don't we expect Psalm 23 to evoke in us an image of a kind and caring shepherd? I think that many of us look to this Psalm as a source of comfort, knowing that God nurtures and cares for us, watches out for us and provides for us, accompanies us and shelters us. And so I believe that both the shepherd image and the mother image get us to that same place. Isn't it amazing that our God is a God who restores our souls and a God who provides for us and a God who won't desert us even in the darkest valleys?

The 23rd Psalm (dedicated to my mother)
by Bobby McFerrin

The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all I need,
She makes me lie down in green meadows,
Beside the still waters, She will lead.

She restores my soul, She rights my wrongs,
She leads me in a path of good things,
And fills my heart with songs.

Even though I walk through a dark & dreary land,
There is nothing that can shake me,
She has said She won't forsake me,
I'm in her hand.

She sets a table before me, in the presence of my foes,
She anoints my head with oil,
And my cup overflows.

Surely, surely goodness & kindness will follow me,
All the days of my life,
And I will live in her house,
Forever, forever & ever.

Glory be to our Mother, & Daughter,
And to the Holy of Holies,
As it was in the beginning, is now & ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.