The Good Shepherd’s goodness and mercy
A shepherd thinks and cares about his sheep all the time. He knows that he cannot afford to forget about his responsibility in taking care of his helpless lamb. Similarly, God knows the helpless state of humanity and desires to shepherd His people! Do you recognize that His goodness and mercy follow you? Are you dwelling in the house of the Lord?
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever. Psalm 23
As verse 6 describes, David was good, compassionate, and merciful as a shepherd towards his flock, and he also had experienced God’s goodness and mercy as sheep. As a shepherd boy, a warrior, and later a king, David would have been exposed to various enemies on a regular basis. His own son Absalom even turned against him, but God protected David. David could have been hurt or killed multiple times if it wasn’t for the Lord watching over him.
Furthermore, David had seen the mercy of God in deliverance from temptation and in forgiveness of him. When he was about to annihilate Nabal and his entire family for being rude to him, God sent Abigail to share words of wisdom diverting him from foolishness. When David sinned against God and committed adultery with Bathsheba, God forgave him upon his repentance. David did not have an easy life, but God was with him every step of the way. He saw the goodness and the mercy of God following him all the days of his life.
The reality is that we don’t even know the continual dangers around us. One virus has brought the world to its knees. There are a whole lot more things in this world that can be dangerous; it is the Lord and His hand of grace and mercy that has kept things in check and protects people.
In truth, if it wasn’t for the goodness and the mercies of God, many would not have made it. Think about situations that God’s goodness and mercy was evident in your life. That’s just a snapshot of what God does on a regular basis in your life. The Lord knows that His sheep are utterly dependent upon His goodness and mercy to walk through life. He is committed to His children and cares about His beloved sheep!
David concluded by telling us that he has made a decision to live in the house of the Lord forever. David had a loving relationship with God, and He knew that the best place to be was in the presence of the Lord and under the shelter of the almighty! No wonder that the scripture tells us David fulfilled God’s purpose in his generation (See Acts 13:36). Remaining in His presence opens the door to knowing and doing the will of God!
How many times do we spin our wheels trying to figure things out!? We are not capable with our finite minds to comprehend, plan, or foresee things in the future! We like to be control but in reality we are not anymore powerful than a sheep before our Good Shepherd! Instead of trying to figure things out, it would be better to just live and rest in His presence. When we are near to Him, we are under the umbrella of His protection, provision, and guidance.
Praise the Lord for Jesus being our good shepherd! I encourage you to memorize Psalm 23 and meditate on it. Allow it to minister to you and keep you content and at peace.