Stalked by Goodness and Grace

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:6

This beautiful line from King David’s pen and heart doesn’t seem all that powerful of a statement, but upon further context it is quite the revelation.  David was most likely an old man looking back over his life.  As he recalled his earlier life, lots of guilt and shame could have been up front and center.  He had an affair that led to the birth of his child, only for the child to die.  He sent that woman’s husband into battle on the front line and basically signed his death warrant.  He could have been consumed with guilt and shame from that alone.  He had continuously been chased and banished from his own life and throne.  Bitterness and anger could have followed him for the rest of his life.  But what does David state that he is confident will follow him every day that he had remaining on earth?  He emphatically stated that goodness and mercy from God would be his rear guard.  And not just some of the days, but he had no doubt…all the days…every single one that God would give to him.

Can we have that same confidence that at the end of our life we can look back and sing the melodies of how God shared all His goodness with us?  Will our testimonies be drenched with details of how God has mercifully chosen to forget our sins upon repentance?  God wants us to always recognize how faithful He has been to us through it all, and how He applied His mercy to our mistakes.  He wants us to look back over our time and see what He has done for us, not what has been done to us.  He wants to show us that we are victors in our circumstances instead of victims.  I believe that David’s proclamation of being followed by God’s goodness and mercy is his commitment that he will look for the goodness of God in every day.  So why wouldn’t we do the same thing? 

Psalm 23 – The Shepherd with Me by Jennifer Rothschild sums up the heart of David that we should also strive to have.  ‘When David looked back at his life, he didn’t see his sin; he saw God’s mercy.  When he looked behind him, he didn’t see his shame – he saw God’s goodness.  Where there was guilt, there is now only goodness.  Where there were mistakes there is now only mercy.’ P. 176