Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,”
[What a beautiful promise. Lord Jesus, my Great and Faithful Shepherd. Your goodness, love and mercy will be with me always, without fail. However, I will often not see them in the midst of a difficulty because they FOLLOW me; later I will look back and see how you used them in my life. Although I cannot see them, yet I can know that they are there, supporting, protecting and finishing your work.
Therefore, I can trust you in any circumstance which is allowed through your wisdom and purpose. I think of what you did in one situation as we faced uncertainty and the threat of loss. In your mercy we did lose, but know now that you had a higher, greater purpose, so in your goodness, we won by losing.
Praise you for what you did in our local friends’ situation where they were assigned to work in a dangerous, difficult and down trodden place. Looking back now, we can see your goodness, mercy and love at work in their lives, as you protected them from attacks by terrorists, as you brought new maturity and deepening, and provided for their needs. You helped helped them to live by faith, including giving them courage to share about you when it was dangerous.
To you be glory, Lord, to you be honor, for your goodness and mercy awhich re always at work amongst us, especially when we cannot see them. I give you praise now for the outcomes you will bring today as I face uncertain situations.
You are truly the God of goodness! I praise you, Lord, for the stability this Truth brings into my life: stability flowing from your consistent and warm love, your unchanging grace and your always pure motives. I praise you that I am always with you because you promised to never leave or forsake me. No matter what I do, you are always there, as the perfect Father, ever waiting with open arms, gracious thoughts and a forgiving heart.
In you I am safe, on sure ground, fully protected, even though I may not see your goodness or mercy at the moment. In you alone I can find rest, protection, acceptance, approval, affirmation, worth and significance. In you alone there is shelter, a shadow for protection from the heat of the day and a sovereign grace to erase all my guilt.
I praise you, Lord God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit—for your wondrous, gracious and rich love: undeserved, unending and unquenchable.
Your thoughts are higher than ours and if we don’t seek your input, we certainly will not follow your greater ways. Help me to be consistent in seeking your deeper thoughts and higher wisdom. Help me, Lord, to partner with you each day, each moment, to be open to your direction, to come to you very frequently to ask for your perspective on the situation. I thank you now for the goodness, mercy and love that will follow me in every event.
