“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Sound familiar? That’s the last verse of Psalm 23.
It turned up somewhere in my reading this week. Can’t remember exactly where.
But I do remember thinking, Wait a minute. Follow? Why didn’t David say, “Surely goodness and mercy are with me?” It doesn’t seem very helpful to have God’s goodness and mercy behind me.
After all these years of familiarity with this beloved psalm, I was suddenly quite puzzled. What could David’s statement mean?
I started with the dictionary. Did you know there are twelve different meanings for the verb, follow? Several of the definitions opened up new understanding for me. See what you think:
1. Follow means to be the result of, as in, “A discussion followed the presentation.”
God’s goodness and mercy are the result of availing ourselves of his shepherding, his watchful care and wise guidance (vs. 1-3). We don’t have to beg for his loving kindness; it is automatically bestowed as we trust in God. Isn’t that glorious?
“Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you” (Psalm 71:19)?
But. If we take a pass on his leadership, we have no right to expect his blessing.
2. Follow means to keep to or stick to, as in “Follow these guidelines.”
The Bible scholars of GOD’S WORD Translation must have embraced this definition. “God’s goodness and mercy will stay close to me,” they wrote. One commentator said these attributes of God cling to us. I like that, too.
3. Follow means to pursue, to move behind with the intention of overtaking as in “The detectives followed the suspect.”
Isn’t that wonderful imagery, of God pursuing us with his goodness and mercy and never giving up?
Those translators who have chosen stay close to me, or pursue, do enlighten our understanding. But one truth of David’s statement is best served with the more familiar verb, follow: We often don’t see God’s goodness and mercy until the experience has passed. It’s in looking back we see that he did pursue us and cling to us, lavishly imparting all his attributes.
For example, ever have one of those weeks when the to-do list is long, and there seems no way to accomplish it all? I’ve seen God engineer circumstances so that an item or two could be postponed, another one or two are cancelled, and a few don’t take as long as expected. One way or another, the list of tasks is checked off. And with a sigh of relief I look back and realize God had been following me, taking care of things as the week progressed.
“He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth” (Daniel 6:27). Even for one woman with too much to do.
Every time God demonstrates his close attention, I try to record the incident in my blessings journal. Watching that list grow has increased my faith; all the experiences have taught me I can continue to trust. The goodness and mercy of God will follow me all the days of my life.
* * * * * * * * * *
Oh, Father, I marvel to think your continual presence is close to me. I can turn to you at any moment and you are there, ready and waiting to minister to my needs. Out of your goodness you give me countless blessings that I don’t deserve; out of your mercy you have withheld consequences for my sin that I do deserve. Thank you for pursuing me with patience, gentleness, and compassion.
Now may I be passionate to follow you, all the remaining days of my life. “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” How glorious to know that, even while living on earth, I can dwell in your presence within my spirit. I rejoice in your name all day long and exult in your righteousness, for you are my glory and strength (Psalm 89:16-17)!
(Photo credit: http://ourdailyblossom.com.)
From the Inside Out 