KEY VERSE:
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” Ps 23:6
On this final day of our journey through Psalm 23 we conclude by coming full circle. We started in verse 1 reflecting on the incredible certainty of David’s assertion, “the Lord IS MY Shepherd”. He ends with another confident statement of faith. The Hebrew word for “surely” is often translated as “only” and sometimes “nevertheless”. There’s a sense in which he is saying, “whatever happens, the only thing that is going to follow me is your goodness and love which lead me right into your house on earth and into your heavenly presence forever!” Wonderful.
In our church, we have a treasured group of saints affectionately known as MMM’s. These are our More Mature Members. Men and women who show us how you can still be a passionate, devoted and faith-filled follower of Jesus at any age. There is a richness of knowledge, experience and wisdom in this group that teaches the following generations the truth of these scriptures. Does that mean they have floated through life without challenges? Certainly not! They have known hardship, sickness and bereavement. Most have walked through the valley of the shadow of death and still face battles today.
Yet our MMM’s are testimony to the wonder in this verse. Today they still love the word of God, pray with persistence and are as committed today to the house of God as ever. They often tell of the goodness and love of God. As Charles Spurgeon writes “These twin guardian angels will always be with me at my back and my beck....the black days as well as the bright days, the days of fasting as well as the days of feasting, the dreary days of winter as well as the bright days of summer. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins.”[1]
Psalm 23 is not a promise of a trouble-free life or a cruise through the challenges we do face. Instead it is a beautiful promise that for those who have given their lives to Jesus, He is with us every step of the way. “He will not let you be defeated. He who guards you never sleeps.” (Psalm 121:3 ICB). God’s sovereign purposes can be fully trusted to ultimately work for the good of those who love Him. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) If you have followed our devotional over these last seven days, you can now recite Psalm 23 – well done! Wherever you are in life declare these bold promises and remember; The LORD is my Shepherd...only His goodness and mercy will follow me...and I will dwell in my Father’s house forever! God bless you and keep you on this great adventure following our Lord Jesus.
[1] Charles H. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David
ACTION STEPS
• Commit to memory verse 6 and recite the whole of Psalm 23 loudly and boldly!
•Video yourself and your family reciting it and why not dedicate it to a friend and post it to social media if you are a user of those forums. Otherwise, send it in a private message. Remember many know the Psalm but what matters is knowing the Shepherd.