“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 23:6
This is my favorite verse of one of my favorite Psalms. It is the conclusion of the Good Shepherd’s work among His sheep, His holy people. It is a promise for the life we live now and the certainty of the life yet to come! While many of God’s promises are for future events, this one is for all our time here on earth and yet to be in heaven.
We experience God’s goodness and mercy every day as He supplies all that we need for our bodies, but most especially for our souls through the forgiveness of sin and His Word and Sacraments. Despite the challenges we face in a fallen world, our God is good…all the time!
The mercies of God in our daily lives are but a foreshadowing of the goodness that will be ours in the perfection of Heaven. We are promised that we will dwell there, with the Lord forever. In fact, the Psalm tells us that there is a feast awaiting our arrival where the Lord Himself will fill our cup to overflowing and will anoint our heads with oil. What an encouraging promise that is for us in the here and now knowing that even greater blessings await us.
The Lord gives us this promise to lend us a hope beyond this world and to strengthen us as we tread this time on earth. Knowing that the Lord has such a wonderful promise for us to come, keeps us ever mindful of His blessings every day!
Know that you are loved!
Peace and Joy,
Pastor Kilian