He Gently Leads Mothers
There are days in motherhood when the pace feels unbearable. School drop-offs, tantrums, housework, feedings, sibling fights, playdates, cooking, errands, sports, and the mental load of it all can make us feel slow, weak, weary, and overwhelmed. Like we just can’t keep up.
We look at other women who seem to be handling it all better—doing more—and we feel behind.
But the Bible holds a promise for mothers:
“He (Jesus) will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.”
— Isaiah 40:11, NLT
The God Who Sees the Mother
“He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.” – Isaiah 40:11, AMP
Let’s linger on this for a moment.
The Hebrew word translated as “gently lead” is nahal, and it carries rich meaning:
To lead, direct, and guide
To lead to a place of rest and refreshment, especially to water (as in Psalm 23:2: “He leads me beside still waters.”)
To guide with care, kindness, attentiveness, gentleness, patience, and grace
To provide a safe and nourishing path
This is not a picture of God driving or pushing us. He’s not barking orders or urging us to do more, faster. No, He gently leads—especially when we’re carrying extra weight, like a baby on our hip.
He is intimately aware of our burdens, our pace, and our frailty.
He does not lead us at a pace we can’t handle:
“He never burdens His people with more than they can bear.” — 1 Corinthians 10:13
He is not standing behind us with a stopwatch, measuring our productivity or spiritual “success.”
Nahal implies intentional slowness. It acknowledges our current capacity:
The hundreds of little interruptions
The physical exhaustion
The shortened attention span
The mental and emotional load we carry
And in all of this, rest is built into the journey.
Jesus Walked Slowly, Too
When we look at the life of Jesus, we notice something: He never hurried.
He didn’t avoid interruptions.
He didn’t rush people.
He walked. He didn’t ride a fast horse.
He paused. He noticed. He responded with compassion.
From a worldly view, Jesus didn’t look efficient. But He was always in step with the Father. He didn’t “maximize productivity.” He modeled dependence, not hustle.
Motherhood has a way of slowing us down, whether we want it to or not. But perhaps this is a gift, not a weakness.
Maybe God is using this slow season to:
Train us in dependence rather than self-sufficiency
Grow patience and gentleness in us
Teach us to walk in step with the Spirit, not the world
Do We Need to make Ourselves to Slow Down?
Sometimes, when we realize we’re rushing, we respond with more self-effort. We try to force slowness—white-knuckling our way to a peaceful lifestyle.
But that’s not what God is asking of us.
We are not called to try harder to be gentle, peaceful, or slow. These are not fruits of effort—they’re the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).
Jesus invites us to realign with His pace - a pace of peace, gentleness, and grace.
Our Role Is to Yield, Not Strive
Following Jesus looks like:
Yielding
Submitting
Trusting
Obeying
He will naturally slow us down. We’re the ones who run ahead—driven by fear, pride, or the need to prove ourselves.
We must choose:
To sit at His feet, like Mary—not scurry like Martha (Luke 10:38–42)
To resist the compulsion to do more, produce more, control more
To quiet ourselves in His presence and turn off the virtual noise
Even this choosing is Spirit-enabled.
“For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 Amp
We don’t muster up the strength to rest. We ask the Holy Spirit to shape it in us—and we cooperate by taking one small step toward it, trusting He’ll help us.
Trust Brings True Slowness
Soul-level slowness isn’t a result of good planning or perfect routines. It comes from believing:
God will provide the time, energy, and resources to do what matters most
God is in control, even when we are not
God loves us—and our children—deeply
God does not demand we hurry
Jesus’ yoke is not only light—it is shared
He’s carrying the burden with us.
For the Mom Who Needs Permission to Slow Down
We don’t have to finish every task on our to-do list with excellence. We don’t have to “keep up” with anyone.
What we need is to stay close to the Shepherd. He will:
Show us what’s necessary for today
Lead us to prioritize wisely
Whisper what can wait until tomorrow
Biblical Reflection
Let’s breathe deeply and receive the beauty of this promise:
“He will feed His flock like a shepherd,
He will gather the lambs in His arm,
He will carry them in His bosom;
He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.”
— Isaiah 40:11, AMP
Each phrase is full of truth for us:
Feed His flock – God is our Provider, even in our stretched-thin season.
Gather the lambs – He holds our children and provides for them
Carry them in His bosom – This is closeness, tenderness, and safety. We are not carrying motherhood alone.
Gently lead those nursing – There is a special care Jesus offers to mothers in this intense season.
Put It Into Practice
Take a moment to reflect with the Lord.
Ask yourself:
Where do I feel most rushed in this season?
Where am I trying to “keep up”?
How might God be inviting me to walk more slowly, more gently, and more in step with Him?