Psalm 23 – Part 7
This newest series of messages on Internet Pastor is called “Psalm 23 – A Psalm of Hope”.
We are going to take the next few weeks and look at the 23rd Psalm together. It is a Psalm of hope and it gives us a great visual of who God is and the amazing love that He has for us. My hope is that as we dig into the Psalm we will all know God a little better, and that because we know Him better we will be able to trust Him more. So let’s get digging:
Today we’re going to conclude our series on Psalm 23. In our current situation many people are so busy worrying about tomorrow that they can’t enjoy today. David, however, as he finishes this Psalm, is not worried about what the future holds.
Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
“surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”
How can we learn to be at peace in today and not be consumed by the worry of tomorrow? Three things we need to talk about as we close this series.
1. Goodness will follow me
Psalms 145:20a (NIV)
20 The LORD watches over all who love him…..
We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. God cares about the details of your life.
What does “Surely goodness” mean? Does that mean that only good things will happen in our lives? No. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. When he says that goodness will follow he means that God, because He care for us, can even use the bad things for good.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
28 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.
2. Mercy will follow me
Not only goodness will follow you but “…mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”
Isaiah 60:10b (TLB)
……I will have mercy on you through my grace.
Mercy is grace in action. Why do we need mercy? Because none of us are perfect and all of us are going to make mistakes and we need His mercy every day because our messes are new everyday. We need forgiveness and healing in our lives.
Psalms 103:2-5 (NIV)
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits–3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
We have been talking about the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep throughout this Psalm. One of the differences between sheep and cattle is that you lead sheep, but you drive cattle. The difference is that sheep are led from the front. The shepherd is in front of the flock. He leads and they follow. Cows are driven from behind to keep them moving. If would not be unusual for a Shepherd to be out front leading the flock while having a couple of sheep dogs bringing up the rear. Goodness and mercy are like divine sheep dogs in life. They are following behind, keeping you in line, keeping you safe so you won’t get lost. When you have goodness and mercy in your life you don’t have need to fear anything.
3. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
An eternal house in heaven! That is an amazing thought. Ever wonder what heaven is like? You don’t become an angel hanging around on clouds playing the harp. We will get to see people who have gone on ahead of us. We will be given things to do that we like to do. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. No more tears or pain or sorrow.
Revelation 21:4 (NIV)
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Can you imagine it? Think of all the things you can do here on earth that are cool — just wait until you get to heaven where you won’t have your back go out, and things like that.
I love this verse from our great, good and chief shepherd, Jesus.
John 10:27-28 (NIV)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
We’re concluding Psalm 23 today. I found this summary/paraphrase of Psalm 23 and I want to read it to you:
“If I know the shepherd, I don’t have to fear anything. I don’t need to fear poverty because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. I don’t need to fear loneliness, for He is with me. I don’t need to fear mistakes, for He guides me on the right path. I don’t need to fear failure, for He restores my soul. I don’t need to fear the future, because goodness and mercy are going to follow me all the days of my life. I don’t even need to fear death, because I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
God is beneath me in green pastures. He is beside me in still waters. He is with me in the valley. He is around me in the presence of my enemies. He’s upon me anointing my head with oil. He is before me leading me in the right paths. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
What more could you want? That is the best deal in the universe!
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