Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever. (Psalm 23:6 NKJV)
If you come visit me, you’ll be greeted with a beautifully designed placard at the end of the driveway with one of my favorite verses inscribed on it, Romans 8:28. That verse carried me through my husband’s leukemia, my depression, and the painful reality of a wayward child.
I’m sure many in Jesus’s day and the early church recited the last verse of Psalm twenty-three as they traversed the difficulties and the persecution many Christians faced.
Two faithful sheep dogs follow the shepherd. One is named Goodness. No matter how bad the world gets or how much we suffer, God’s goodness follows us faithfully.
The second dog’s name is Mercy. Where would we be without God’s mercy. His gracious pity. He doesn’t give us what we deserve, but He generously lavishes us with His divine mercy.
What more could we ask for than a good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11)? He provides for our physical needs, our emotional needs, our spiritual needs, and here in this final verse, He provides for our eternal needs. Truly, Jesus is not just our good shepherd. He is the best shepherd, and friend, He is our shepherd.
Unlike real sheep and human shepherds, the relationship comes to a final close, but never with Christ. He is an ever-present shepherd. He is with us today and tomorrow. He is with us through the good and the bad. He is with us when we sin and when we obey. He is with us when we ignore Him all day, unable to squeeze in a prayer.
He is with us in sickness and in death. He will cross over Jordan with us, and He will spend eternity with us, because He is not just the good shepherd, He is the best shepherd.
He is kind when the world turns rude. He loves on us when others scoff at us. He helps us when no one else can or will. He comforts us when our hearts break and our bodies give out. He gives us His Holy Spirit and His Word to protect us, to lead us, and to teach us. Can we give Him some well-deserved praise for being our good shepherd?
Lord Jesus, I praise You today for loving me more than I can realize. You are more than good to me, and today I thank You for my many blessings. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
HIKING THE TRAIL
Make time to thank God for everything that comes to mind today.
RELATED RESOURCE
Today, I want to share the Amazon link to the book that made it possible for me to share this series, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip W. Keller. Click here.
Originally posted on October 11, 2021 @ 3:00 am
I loved the word picture of the 2 dogs with the shepherd named Goodness and Mercy.
I heard a preacher use that one time. Praying for your safe travels today and so happy for you. I will be there in spirit