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 KJV
Our Scripture passage for today is the last verse of the 23rd Psalm. This Psalm was written by David. David began his life as a young shepherd boy. He was known for many things. As a young shepherd boy, he would be anointed king to succeed Saul.
He would kill Goliath when Goliath terrorized King Saul and the Israelite army while he was still a teenager.
Many remember David as being a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). God knew this before David’s birth which was when he chose him to succeed Saul as king.
David was known as a mighty warrior and a great king. He was also known for his great sin with Bathsheba. While David had some wonderful victories, he also suffered a great deal. He was hunted down by his father-in-law King Saul because Saul had been driven mad by an evil spirit.
He suffered greatly because of his sin with Bathsheba where he committed adultery and murder.
If I had to name one thing for which David was most well-known, I would say it was his steadfast commitment to the Lord. David was committed to the Lord. He was a human being with weaknesses just like you and me. He messed up at times, just like you and me. But he loved the Lord with all his heart.
David wrote Psalm 51 after he had committed the sins of adultery and murder. It shows his broken heartedness as he asks God to have mercy on him (verse 1) and to cleanse him from his sin (verse 2). In verse 9, he asks God to blot out his iniquities and in verse 10 he asks God to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him.
While David was a mighty man of God, David did his fair share of suffering. Some of it was self-imposed and some of it God allowed. You might ask yourself the question, how could a man who had suffered so write something like “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”?
Well, if you’ve studied the Psalms, you will also see that David was a man of great faith. In 1 Samuel David had two opportunities to kill Saul and stop Saul’s pursuit of him. David refused to do so, however, because he acknowledged that God had anointed Saul king just as He had anointed David king. David said on both occasions, he had no right to kill God’s anointed. He left that to God.
Eventually, God did end Saul’s life in battle and David became king. David adhered to Psalm 46:10 which says, “Be still and know that I am God, I shall be exalted among the nations and exalted in the earth.” David knew that sometimes the most important thing we can do is trust in God and His timing.
While David suffered, he knew that God was in control. His Psalms speak of God’s vengeance against his enemies. He knew where his help came from. In Psalm 121:1-2 it says, “My help comes from Yahweh, who made heaven and earth.”
David knew God was with him through all of life’s troubles. He knew God would lead him like a good shepherd over the mountains and through the valleys of life. Most importantly, he understood that the suffering we experience on this earth is temporary compared to the eternal joy and peace we will experience when we get to heaven.
When we accept Christ as our Savior and do the work, He has called us to do, He works all things for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28-31). Though we will go through hard times, we know where our help comes from. We know what we are working for. We trust in Him to do what is best for us.
Most importantly, we know that even though we go through hard times, His goodness and His mercy will never forsake us. He will pursue us. He will leave the 99 to come and rescue us.
If you have not surrendered your life to Him, I encourage you to do so. This world can eat us alive. We need His goodness and His mercy to bring us safely through on the other side. Trust in Him today.
Have a great day!