The Good Shepherd | Psalm 23:6

The Good Shepherd | Psalm 23:6

Psalm 23:1-6 (1984) “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely 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 (ESV) “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

God cares.

2 Corinthians 10:17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God’s presence in the pain is just as important as God’s promises for the future.

1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 3:16a “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:3 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

Under the Old Covenant, the sheep died for the shepherd.

Under the New Covenant, the Shepherd died for the sheep by becoming the Lamb.

John 1:29
Isaiah 53:7
Philippians 2:9

John 10:28 “I give my sheep eternal life. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand,”

Revelation 7:17 “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

1 John 3:16a “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 

 In the same way that goodness and mercy flow to me, so should goodness and mercy flow through me all the days of my life. 

The true gauge of my gratitude for God’s goodness and mercy towards me is my willingness to reciprocate goodness and mercy towards others.

What are the signs of goodness and mercy that show up because of your presence?

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

It’s not about a place; it’s about His presence.