Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:6 (ESV)
In this final verse, the Psalmist has moved from first talking about the Lord, then talking to the Lord, and now this last verse comes full circle as he speaks words of assurance and promise to himself. After five verses of describing the presence of the Shepherd Lord leading and caring for his sheep and the Psalmist in particular, the Psalmist summarizes all he has spoken of by reminding himself of the steadfast love of the Lord for his children. The goodness and mercy of the Lord will be with him all the days of his life and when this life is finished, the Psalmist will be in the presence of the Lord as he dwells with him in heaven above. The paths of righteousness that the Shepherd is leading him will take him through both the mountain tops and the valley lows. He will lead him through the brightness of day and the shadow of deep darkness. In every step along the path, the goodness and mercy of Christ is there all the days of his life. And when the path is completed and the time has come to enter the destination, the Psalmist reveals that he will be in the house of the Lord forever – for days without end!
This is a tremendous way to end this psalm. Even through the Psalmist has spoken about the faithful steadfast love of God through the first five verses, it is not an easy thing to remember. I know that the Lord is leading me through the valley at times and I know that I should not fear, yet it is still difficult at the moment. Why? Because I am too easily swayed by comfort and ease. When times are difficult, I begin to think that the Lord is upset with me and is bringing upon me some form of wrath or judgment. I need to remind myself that the steadfast love of the Lord is with me. His goodness and mercy is always with me. They will be with me all the days of my life. Every step on the path that the Lord is leading me along, will be filled with his presence. And where he is present, his goodness and mercy will be in abundance.
His goodness and mercy is the steadfast love of the Lord. Why do I continually forget this? Maybe it’s because I have a warped and distorted understanding of what it means to have the goodness and mercy of a holy God present in my life. For his goodness is a holy goodness and his mercy is a holy mercy. They are not tainted shadow versions that I find in myself and others. No, the steadfast love of God is a frightful thing at times, because it is absolutely foreign to my understanding. I take the goodness and mercy of God in my life and evaluate it in the light of my own understanding and character. I think of God’s steadfast love in terms I can understand… my own terms. He is a holy and righteous God who is leading and caring for me with a purpose, his namesake.
The steadfast love of God for me will bring me home to be with him. His goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, so that in his steadfast love I will be brought safely to the house of the Lord, where I will dwell with him forever. The days of my life are short. Far shorter than I ever truly contemplate and understand. 50 years? 70 years? 90 years? 110 years? What are they in relation to dwelling in the house of the Lord forevermore. 10,000 years in the house of the Lord is but a passing moment in the scale of eternity. Forever is a term that I find difficult to wrap my mind around, for everything I know and have experienced tells me that there is a beginning and an end. Nothing lasts forever. Yet, the Psalmist tells me that I will dwell in the house of the Lord forevermore. There will never be a time when I do not dwell in the house of the Lord. This is the mountain top of Psalm 23. This is the culmination of “the Lord is my Shepherd.” What does it mean to not be in want? It means that the goodness and mercy of God will follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forevermore!
Holy Father, thank you for this time you have given for me to reflect on Psalm 23. I have always enjoyed reading through this Psalm, but it has become such a powerful work of grace in my heart these last few weeks. I know that you have already used the truths of this Psalm to change my thinking and to deepen the intimacy of our relationship. I am thankful that you have revealed yourself to me not only through the formal reflection and meditation times, but in my day-to-day moments as your Spirit has moved in my life. The truths of this Psalm have been manifesting throughout my life these last few weeks as you have taught me to see the world around me in light of these different word pictures. Not wanting; green pastures; still waters; restoring my soul; paths of righteousness; valley of deep darkness; fearlessness; comfort; fellowship and communion; abundant blessings; steadfast love; and my true home. Thank you for your steadfast love manifesting in my life through your goodness and mercy. Keep these truths before me at all times. Remind me often of them. Let me see Jesus every each and every day and give me a deep longing for my true home.