“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6)
“Surely,” not “maybe”! That's what the text says. But how can that be?
The same man who wrote those words, David, was a man who experienced God’s goodness and mercy all his days and nights. Whether the sun was shining, or it was midnight in his soul, David was able to say, “Surely goodness and mercy have followed me.”
It’s so much easier for us to say “most of the days” or “some of the days.” Yet the text promises His presence all of our days. This is not a promise that all our days will be good or merciful, but rather an assurance that the God of mercy will follow us through the good and the bad days, the rich and the poor days, the sick and the well days – all the days of our life.
When we believe this promise, we bring His “presence” into our problems. It is His “grand company” in all our nights that wrings from our lips the certain cry – “Surely!” His sweet friendship lights up good days and makes them even better. So, we do not have a “maybe” or a “perhaps” or a “hopefully” – but a “surely” that is rooted in the proven promises of God!
On an airplane I was sitting next to a lady who lived in Florida. She kept looking out the window and moaning about the weather. I was able to tell her, you can’t have a world without clouds, but you can have a heart full of sunshine!
Follow me, Father, into my night.
Give to my blindness excellent sight
Spirit of cheer, stay with me here.
Be to my soul a delight.
