“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…”

Psalm 23:6 (ESV)

What a bold claim. Surely. 

There is no doubt detected in the shepherd’s words. He does not look to the right or to the left; he simply makes the claim that he knows with confidence that God’s goodness and mercy will always be his. He does not state that he is qualified to receive these blessings, or that he has been good so God will be good. Not at all. God is always good, and as believers we can have the same confidence that God’s goodness and mercy will follow us always. Our confidence is God’s faithfulness, not our own. Our faithfulness can be ever wavering. We are, as the book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller clearly says, like sheep. 

Sheep are known to be emotionally complex, which is a very accurate way to describe humans. We often allow our emotions to dictate our lives and the way we perceive God. If we feel good we may shout from the rooftops about the goodness of God, but when we are feeling down we may tend to think God is not good. He may not have answered a prayer in the way we had prayed and hoped for. We feel disappointed and sometimes question the goodness of God in our vulnerable state of mind. This is a way the enemy can distract us from our purpose, and deceive us into believing God does not care about us. As we read in John 8:44, the enemy is a liar and the truth is not in him. When he lies he speaks his native tongue so we must be on alert. Calling to mind the Word of God reminds us that God is good all the time even when we don’t feel happy. Contentment should be our goal and we should rest in the knowledge that no matter what, God’s goodness and mercy will always follow us. 

Our minds don’t process things like our Good Shepherd. We cannot grasp His ways or His plans to love us well. We do not know what it takes to get in position to live out God’s purpose for our lives. It can at times seem like we have fallen off the path – even going backwards – when regression may be part of the path all along. We try hard to work and fix and do and make and be in our own strength and by our own powerless “power” when all we have to do is trust the Shepherd. He designed it so simply, but we make it so complex.

Psalm 23:6 is a soothing verse. We find comfort in it when life is going smoothly, but we should most definitely find comfort in this statement made by a faithful shepherd when life is going roughly.

When life circumstances are hard, we must look at the character of God. Can He be trusted? Look back to scripture. The Word of God gives us a numerous instances of God following people’s lives with goodness and mercy. Abraham saw firsthand when he was sent to Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac. God created nations from Isaac’s sons. God used Jacob’s life to carry on the Abrahamic Covenant. All these and more show God provides people with goodness and mercy even when a life is riddled with trials and hard circumstances. Looking at the lives of those in the Bible clearly illustrates that He can be trusted completely. 

The most impactful and meaningful way God displayed His goodness and mercy for believers is when 

“…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Romans 5:8 (KJV) 

How valuable is Jesus to us. The Son of God taking the wages of sin for us who would believe shows God’s steadfast love for us.By sacrificing His Son to reconcile us, God freely gives us the ultimate portion of goodness and mercy. It is the very goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and His mercy that withholds our due punishment.

When we see things in light of God’s goodness and mercy we are able to face the difficulties in life with confidence knowing He is working all things together for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That does not mean it will all work out as we hope, or that it will feel good in the end, but nothing will ever change the fact that He is good. Feelings do not change the truth; God is always good. Jesus is our Good Shepherd.

 

Look back on your own life and site instances where you personally saw God’s goodness.

 

When has God shown mercy in your life?

 

 What a great gift to have received goodness and mercy and to know we will continually receive these priceless treasures. Remember to reflect on these examples when things are not going how you hoped and let them be a reminder that God’s goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life.