Psalm 23:6
You know, from the one where the LORD is your shepherd
I’ve been thinking a lot about Psalm 23 lately.
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
The reason I’ve been so hung up on this Psalm is the last verse, which is referenced in a Hillsong…song.
The trigger for my thoughts came from the bridge:
Surely love and mercy
Your peace and kindness
Will follow me
Will follow me
I remember turning to Jason and asking, “What does it mean that these good things follow me? Does that mean it might not catch up to me?”
So I thought about it for a while. Maybe it meant there are times when goodness and mercy are not with me (or at least it feels like they are not with me). But if we do walk with our Lord, the shepherd, then every place I leave or move on from should be filled with goodness and mercy. Those things should always trail behind me. It was a satisfactory-enough conclusion, and I let it go at that (and made a Facebook post about it).
Then one of my amazing friends pointed out two amazing things (Shout out to Daniel!) about that verse. The word for “mercy” in that verse is chesed, the covenant loyalty that God has for his people. It's often translated "lovingkindness." (And in case you were wondering, the “goodness” in that verse is towb, or “good.” It’s the same word used in creation that God used to describe his creation “good.”)
So now we have God’s “good”-ness and his “lovingkindness” following us. Already pretty cool.
The second thing he pointed out blew my mind: The word for “follow” can also be translated as “pursue.” It’s the same word that is used in Exodus when Pharaoh's army chases after God's people.
Do you see it ? God’s goodness and lovingkindness is chasing after us. We’re the ones who are trying to get away. But he is relentless, like the chariots of Pharaoh. And unlike the Egyptians, God cannot be stopped by oceans. He will pursue us.
And he does not pursue us with wrath and anger and judgment. It’s with goodness and lovingkindness.
I thought that was the end of my journey with Psalm 23. But then I was reading this amazing book, In His Image by Jen Wilkin.
And I audibly gasped when I read this sentence:
"Though [God] had every right to bar his goodness behind the flaming sword of the cherubim at Eden's eastern exit, instead he allowed his goodness to follow Adam and Eve all the days of their life, even after their expulsion. And so he does for every son of Adam and daughter of Eve to this day.”
Did you catch that? She beautifully connects God's actions with post-Fall Adam and Eve to Psalm 23 and to how he treats us now — He continues to chase us with lovingkindness. And I gasped. Because He is so Good.
Despite our sin, our failures, our running, he follows us. Though we, like sheep, have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6), he searches for us.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:1-7)
And one day, we will never be separated from Jesus, our Good Shepherd.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:14-16)
25 Jesus answered [the Pharisees], “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (John 10:25-30)
So anyways, if you would like to just rest in that image of God forever chasing you with himself and his goodness until we are forever reunited in heaven, you should listen to this song:
Goodness of God (feat. Bethany Barnard) by Worship Initiative
Contains these lyrics:
'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me, oh-ohh
'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me
(Shout out to Michelle for pointing out these lyrics perfectly encapsulated this interpretation on Psalm 23!)
One more thing. Read this testimony that we published at Sola. (Please note: This post refers to sexual abuse that may be triggering to survivors and may be unsuitable for some readers.)
Over the years, my family has been cared for and loved by a deacon at our church. In many ways, he cared for us in areas that my dad used to. And today, he is fixing our bathrooms for us. All in his own time, with his own tools, at a rate we can afford.
I know it’s small and may not seem like a big deal. But coming from a place where we expected to live with a broken house for a long time, the restoration of our house was something we couldn’t even imagine. We’d become accustomed to our broken lifestyle, and change for the better was something unfathomable.
Likewise, God has been knocking on the broken rooms of my heart this season, asking to come in so he can fix things. And while my house only needs fixing in some places, my heart needs a full renovation.
The essay also mentions the Good Shepherd too, and you’ll really see how God has been chasing after this sister with his goodness and mercy.
That’s all for now. If you liked this, please share it or like it or let me know via text/email. It’s very encouraging! Write to you later!