Your Goodness And Love Will Follow

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)

It can be easy, as a Christian, to spend a lot of time looking forward to the Afterlife. To Heaven. What could possibly sound as appealing, to those who love God, than the prospect of spending Eternity with Him? But you know, the first part of Psalm 23:6 reminds me that we don't have to wait for death to enjoy life with our Lord.

The NIV translates that section as "Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life."

When you commit to a life following Christ, you're inviting Him to dwell with you, to share your life. That's what Christians mean when we say we have a "relationship" with Him. It means He is there. It means we can talk to Him. We can enjoy His presence. 

So often, we get so caught up in our day-to-day lives, it's easy to forget He is literally with us. Because we can't see Him by our sides, it's easy to think of Him as being far away; as being someone we can only reach during our devotions or those quiet moments of prayer. But if you allow yourself to see, you will find His goodness and mercy follows you.

You can live an abundant life, filled with the goodness, love and mercy of Christ, right now. You don't have to wait for Heaven. He is there with you, if you just look for Him. 

Let this be an encouragement. No matter what's going on today, no matter what you have to do, your Lord walks by your side. He is with you in that meeting you've been dreading at work. He's with you in the crowded grocery store, when all you want to do is pack up your kids and go back home. He's with you as He nudges you to talk to that lonely person at school or work.

He is with you, once you find Him, with all His goodness and mercy, all the days of your life.

My Cup Overflows

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5)

We've talked before about what an interesting, amazing picture is painted in verse 5 of the 23rd Psalm: Sitting amongst your enemies, dining comfortably in the presence and safety of your Lord. This last phrase completes the picture: "my cup overflows." 

It is here that we begin to understand the glory of God's blessing -- how His grace is in His every act. It's enough that He is our Shepherd. It's enough to know He is wish us even in the valley of the shadow of death. Enough that He not only protects us from our enemies, but prepares a table in their presence. But now we see that when God blesses, He gives above and beyond mere need. Indeed, He so delights to give good things to His children, that He just continues to do so. 

But note here: He doesn't make the enemies disappear. He doesn't pluck us from the Valley. He could, but does not. Jesus promised in John 16:33 that we would have trouble, and we see that, even in His presence, the trouble remains all around us. But just look at the rest of what Jesus tells us!

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

I believe this is the meaning of the overflowing cup of Psalm 23:5: that you and I and the whole world might get a glimpse of God's power and authority over the evil on earth. Here is the big, bad world, controlled for a time by darkness. And here's God in the midst of it, blessing His children beyond measure. It's a poke in the eye of the evil one that makes me smile, but it's also a reflection of God's glory and greatness! And of His grace.

Grace is when we get what we do not deserve, and in verse 5, we see a filling of what we don't deserve, beyond the limit of even the cup He has placed before us.