Psalm 23 is such a good Psalm. It’s used more for funerals than anything else. But the whole Psalm talks about how God takes care of us in this life. Think about what David was saying as he was relaying to us the magnitude of God’s love. In the concluding verse, he lets us know that God will never give up on us. No matter what we’re doing, what we are thinking, or who we hanging out with, He’s there. All we have to do is turn and look for God’s love. You see, we have a Holy Shadow that follows us all the time.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalms 23:6
Just Turn and Look For God’s Love
In the first verse of this Psalm, we are told that God will take care of all of our needs. Then in the next couple of verses, they say the Lord gives us rest, peace, and strength. This all happens as God is leading us down the path of righteousness.
There will be times when we will get off of that path. Times when it will be dark and fearful. But even during those times, the Lord will be close by our side. He will use his rod to fend off our enemies and His staff to protect us. And during that time He gives us comfort.
When you are confronted by an adversary, what is the last thing that you would think of? I would think it would be eating. Verse 5 says You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. It continues with, You honor me by anointing my head with oil. Then he says that our lives will overflow with blessings.
The last verse brings the entire Psalm to a fascinating conclusion. “Surely” is the word David begins this verse with. Here are some phrases that we might use in today’s language. One that is often used is, “in other words.” I guess one favorite has to be “To be honest with you” or another one is “Obviously”.
What David trying to communicate to all who read this is, “this is something you should take for granted”. His goodness and unfailing love are more than just there for you. David said they are coming after you. His words are, they will pursue me all the days of my life.
The Pursuit of the Lord’s Love
A young lady I know has recently chosen to walk down a wayward path after serving the Lord for several years. What she didn’t realize was, God had not abandoned her. All she had to do was turn and look for God’s love. The Lord was pursuing her with his goodness and unfailing love.
No matter what we are experiencing in life, David assures us that God is there. “Surely”, he said, it will be obvious if you just look. Read all 6 verses of Psalm 23. When you come across the pronouns “I and me”, take them personally as if it were you who wrote it. The promises in this chapter are for each of us.
Allow the pursuit of his goodness and unfailing love to catch you. We have a promise that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
While we are waiting, we can most certainly enjoy dwelling in his presence today!
Lord, there are times when we get off the path of righteousness. You tell us though in your Word that you will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you that you are always in our pursuit.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Perspectives
Featured Image by Alison Updyke from Pixabay
