Part 5 of 5 Start from Part 1
Verse(s): Psalm 23:6
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.
The meadow is undeniably beautiful.
In the morning, birds sing you awake; in the evening stars come out, millions of them, in all their splendor.
Walking through this place hasn’t been easy. It’s beautiful, yes. But it hurts, too. You’ve stumbled. You’ve lost your way—more than once. You know there’s more darkness ahead.
But now, you go hand in hand with your Shepherd. He’s teaching you to rest. And you’re learning, slowly, to not be so afraid.
You take a few steps, and you notice your feet feel a little bit lighter than they used to.
You look at Him. Together? you say.
Your Shepherd nods. Together.
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One day, we’ll get to physically be with Jesus, glorified with Him, enjoying His presence for all eternity.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:3-4 NLT
We look forward to that glorious future day with expectant, ecstatic hope. But we don’t have to wait until then to live with our Shepherd and Savior.
So what does it look like for us to live in the house of the Lord—right here, right now, today? It looks like putting our trust in Him when we can’t see the path ahead. It looks like resting on His grace even though we don’t feel like we deserve it. It looks like accepting that our Shepherd desires good and lovely things for us, and thanking Him day after day that He does.
In this verse, David says, Surely. Not, I think. Not, I hope. He says, Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. His confidence is so admirable. After walking with his Shepherd through the darkest valleys and brightest meadows, he has no doubt that the Lord is for him.
Allow this question to settle into your heart: Do you have that same assurance?
Answer with honesty. But have grace for yourself, as Jesus has grace for you, if your answer isn’t what you want it to be right now.
But that word pursue—don’t miss it. Our Shepherd doesn’t just passively let us have His love and His goodness and His blessings. No, He goes one step further. He comes after us with intention. He pursues us. He gathers us up in His arms and holds us close through every season, good and bad. We’re never alone. We can rest assured knowing our Good Shepherd has secured both our present and our future with Him.
Tonight, we pray that you’re able to rest. As you fall asleep, repeat these truths to yourself. Let the love and the peace and the presence of your Good Shepherd quiet your mind.
