Psalm 23:6 Forever Home

Surely your [God’s] goodness and love will follow 

me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the 

house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

This post is in memory of my precious Aunt JoAnne, who stepped through the gates into the house of the LORD on Friday evening, July 26, 2019.

David ends this psalm with confidence and praise. How can he do differently? His praise for his Shepherd has flowed from every verse.

• God is David’s provider (Psalm 23:1).
• God brings David to places of peace and refreshes his soul (Psalm 23:1-3a). 
• God guides David in the right way when he has decisions to make. (Psalm 23:3a).
• God encourages and strengthens David, even when he walks through dark times; His presence comforts him during hardship and difficulty. (Psalm 23:4b).
• God sustains David when he faces dangerous enemies and fills him to overflowing with His grace (Psalm 23:5).

Like David, we can experience God’s peace, guidance, presence, and love, no matter our circumstances. 

David doesn’t qualify his statements to match his circumstances. I do that too often. I acknowledge God’s peace when things are going well and I feel His presence when I’m on the mountain top.

During dark times, I sometimes allow despair to capture my mind and I often accuse God of leaving me to suffer alone.

We can claim the promise of David’s words: God’s goodness and love follow us every day of our lives. Not just on sunny days, not only when life is easy, but every day!

And when our days end, we can know that we know that we will step into His House and live with Him forever. We can cling to the promise that we will join our family and friends who have gone before us.

When I step into eternity, my mom, my parents-in-love, my grandparents, my Aunt JoAnne, and so many other loved ones will be waiting for me and we will rejoice with Jesus forever.

In my next post, we close out our journey through Psalm 23 and mine the gems that await us as we apply it to our daily lives. 


How do David's words in Psalm 23:6 increase your confidence in God?

The 7 Wonders of Psalm 23: Part Eight

Who said a series of 7 can't have 8 - or even 9 - parts?
If you don't believe me, ask Douglas Adams.
Look him up - if you haven't read his books, they're hysterical!

Most believe that this psalm was written during the years David fled for his life from Saul’s jealous rage. He hid in forests and in dark caves. 

Even in this difficult situation, David expressed total faith in his Lord.

Surely goodness and love (mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

Do you hear the change in David’s tone?

He doesn't describe how the Lord ministered to him in the darkness.

There were no choices to make.

Instead, he proclaimed the certainty of his Lord’s promises, now and forever

Surely…

We don’t use this word a lot today and when we do, it’s usually to express disbelief or dismay.

“Surely he won’t do that.”
“Surely she won’t say that.”

There’s no disbelief in David’s voice when he said, “Surely…”

He was filled with

• Total confidence
• Complete faith
• Absolute trust.

Can you imagine? He’s in a cave, hiding from a man who wants to kill him.

If I were in that cave, I wouldn’t be talking about God’s goodness and mercy! I’d be shouting,
“Don’t You love me? Do You care??"

David didn’t freak out - He was confident in his Shepherd’s love and care

Goodness and love...

He believed God’s promise that he would be king of Israel and, in that assurance, he looked beyond the cave to the blessings that lie before him.

• Goodness – kindness, abundant blessings, benevolence
• Love – faithfulness, patience, forgiveness

We’ve all been trapped in dark caves – caves of sorrow, of pain, of hopelessness. We look around and fell overwhelmed with fear and desperation.

But, somewhere deep inside of us, our hearts echo God’s promises of goodness and love for us – at that moment and for the rest of our lives.

Promises built on His unchangeable character.

I will dwell...forever

David was running for his life but he didn’t panic – he placed his faith in God’s sovereignty and stood on the assurance of an eternal life spent with Him.

Now, I don’t think David said,

“Nah-na-na-nah-na-na! You can’t kill me because God told me I’d be king someday!”

He knew death was inevitable, but he found joy in the surety of eternal life.

He knew that he knew that he would dwell in the house of the Lord – that he would live with God as part of His family

For believers, there is no fear in death. We’re not expected to be excited about it but we know that, when we leave this temporary life, we enter into an eternal life as part of God’s family.

• Goodness
• Love
• Eternal life

Surely God showers us with His blessings – now and forevermore!



How does surety in God’s promises enrich your life?

If you do not have this assurance, God’s reaching out to you. Find someone who can show you God’s love for you.
Photo credit: cave SimpleFoto