God's Goodness And Mercy

Psalm 23:6: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

"He restoreth my soul when I'm weary;
He giveth me strength day by day.
He leads me beside the still waters;
He guards me each step of the way.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life."

This sentence is the culmination of Psalm 23, and it is a masterpiece.
Many have turned to this psalm in times of distress and in times of grief.
These words continue to give us comfort, inspiration, and hope at crucial times in our lives.

Psalm 23 begins with the psalmist living a pleasant, comfortable life, symbolized by a lush,
green meadow and cool, still water.
Then something happens to shatter our comfortable life.
It may have been an illness or rejection or loss of a job.
Many times it is the death of a loved one.

So the psalmist struggles through this dark time, in the valley of the shadow of death,
cries out to God.
And then, he learns that his Shepherd is guiding him through everything that comes to him.
This we have learned, as we have been living in this great chapter.

In verse one, we are thankful to say that the Lord is my Shepherd,
and as we move through the six verses, we can truly rejoice.
We can rejoice because we shall never not lack the resources of God. (Verse 1)
We shall never lack the rest that our Shepherd provides. (Verse 2)
We shall never lack the refreshment that God provides. (Verse 2)
We shall never lack God's restoration. (Verse 3)
We shall never lack God's righteousness. (Verse 3)
We shall never lack God's rod and staff to comfort us. (Verse 4)
We shall never lack God's table that He prepares for us in the presence of our enemies. (Verse 5)
We shall never lack God's pursuing us with His goodness and mercy. (v. 6)

Psalm 23 is simply said, but very profound, and yet, so easily understood.
Every phrase and every word expounds who God is, and what He does for every Christian.
God's sovereignty is evident in every sentence
Psalm 23 is like a spiritual oasis in the desert, and like a refuge in the storms of life.
We are standing upon sacred ground as we study Psalm 23.

We must see ourselves as sheep who are dumb, dependent, and defenseless,
to understand the many spiritual blessings in Psalm 23
Every verse stresses the benefits of the flock who are under the care of their good Shepherd.
Then the psalmist sums up all the benefits by saying, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days on my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. "

No matter what happens, our Shepherd has proven faithful, and we can be perfectly assured
that goodness and mercy will pursue us all the days of our lives.
Remember, we are sheep.

Do we really believe that no matter what happens, goodness and mercy are ours?
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life"
is a message of affirmation of the grace and power of God, and of how our Shepherd cares for us
and guides us through every day of our lives.

So, these closing words of Psalm 23 point to God's continued blessings.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

The 6th verse begins with the word, "Surely."
This is not maybe.
It is not probably.
There are no doubts.
It is an absolute certainty.

David knew God because he had experienced the goodness and mercy of God all through his life.
And this gave David the confidence and courage to live his life in the Lord.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life."

God is good!
The very essence of God is goodness.
God's goodness is a subject that occupies a huge portion of the Old and New Testaments.
God is good!
Goodness is an attribute of God.
He is goodness.
He is good in Himself.
He is perfectly good
Only God has perfect goodness.

God is the source of all good.
God has always been, and always will be, infinitely good (Hebrew, "tob"; Greek, "agathos").
In His goodness, God gives goodness and mercy to all His creation.

Psalm 52:1 declares that "The goodness of God endureth continually."
1 John 1:5 states: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."
God is infinitely good.
God alone is infinitely good, for His goodness is boundless and knows no limits.

He is eternally and immutably good.
Only God is immutably good, from eternity to eternity, for there can be no change in God.
(James 1:17)
The goodness of God endures for ever. (Psalm 52:1)
Because His goodness endureth forever, we ought never to be discouraged,
as Nahum 1:7 declares: "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble,
and He knoweth them that trust in Him."

The Goodness of God is witnessed in His saving grace in the lives of all His children.
His goodness is seen through the witness of of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:16)
His goodness is seem through our spiritual understanding given to us by Him.
(Luke 24:31-32, I Corinthians 9:9-16)

His goodness is evident through His love. (I John 3:1, 4:8-11, 5:12)
His goodness is seen by the good works His grace allows us to do.
(Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 2:11-15)
His goodness is experienced in the hope we have in our hearts.
(Romans 8:24-25, I Cor. 15:19, I Thess 4:13-18)

His goodness is experienced through faith which is a gift from God.
(Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 11:1-3, 6).
His goodness is seen in a yielded and devoted life to the kingdom of God.
(Romans 12:1-2, 14:16-19)

The things that God does, and the things which He accomplishes, and the activities
in which He engages, and the things which He allows to come to pass, are all good.

Everything About God is Good!
God's goodness is the sum total of all His attributes.
His mercy is good.
His justice is good.
His holiness is good.
His love is good.
Everything God does is good.
There is nothing but goodness in His being!

Since God is good, he always has our best interests at heart.
Because God is good, He will not allow anything to happen to us that is not for our ultimate good.
God's goodness is recognized in what He does for His sheep.
The goodness of God is seen in His protection of His sheep, and knowing those who trust Him

God's goodness should be personally experienced.
If you are not experiencing the goodness of God, it is not because He has run out of goodness,
withdrawn it, or is holding it back.
God's goodness is stored up for us.
It is up to each one of us to appropriate it for ourselves.

God Is So Good!
"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

"God is so good,
God is so good,
God is so good,
He's so good to me!

God is good all the time
God is good all the time.

God is always good whether we see it or whether we don't.
In the words of the Psalmist, "God is good and his mercy endures forever!"

In Psalm 27:13, David writes why he doesn't lose all hope:
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living." [faith in future grace/goodness]

"All the way my Savior leads me,
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate'er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well."
-- Fanny J. Crosby

God's goodness ought to make us all the more thankful, as we consider our station in life,
our condition, our bodies, and our great salvation in Christ.
In every respect, "I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)
Because God is good, He is a stronghold in the day of trouble, whether it be physical or spiritual.
(Nahum 1:7).
We are know that all things work together for good to them that love God. (Romans 8:28).

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life."

God's mercy is a recurring theme throughout the Bible.
The English word for "mercy" appears 341 times in the Bible.
The four Hebrew words and three Greek words associated with this term appear
a total of 454 times.
They are also translated as "kindness," "lovingkindness," "goodness," "favor," "compassion,"
and "pity."

Of the sixty-six books of the Bible, only sixteen do not use one of these words for mercy.
Even though "mercy" is an important concept, it is somewhat difficult to define it,
especially since "grace" is occasionally closely coupled with it.

1 Kings 3:6 states that His mercy is "great."
Psalm 86:5 says that His mercy is "plenteous."
Luke 1:78 says that His mercy is "tender."
1 Peter 1:3 says that His mercy is "abundant."
Psalm 103:17 says that His mercy is "from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him."

Psalm 136 repeats the theme "for His mercy endureth forever" at the end of each of its 26 verses.
Verse 1 says: "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
Verse 2 says: "Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. "
Verse 3 says: "Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever."

As you read Psalm 136, you will see that all the verses end with the words:
"For His mercy endures forever"

The last four verses are:
"Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever. (Verse23)
"And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever. (Verse 24)
"Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever. (Verse 25)
"Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever. (Verse 26)

The more we think about the mercy of God, the greater it becomes to us.
Mercy is the result of God's goodness and grace.
Psalms 33:5, says this: "He loveth righteousness and judgment:
the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord."

Mercy is the result of of God's goodness.
Both goodness and mercy reside in God.
Mercy adds to other attributes of God.
Without His mercy, God's holiness and His justice would be terrible to behold.
Think about that!
But His justice is tempered and sweetened with His mercy!
It is made bearable by His mercy.

There are so many facets of God's mercy.
God's mercy that prevents and spares us.
God's mercy guides us and accepts us.
God's mercy supplies our needs.
God's mercy provides healing for us.
God's mercy is forgiving and correcting.
God's mercy is supporting and comforting.

God's mercy is overflowing.
Psalms 86:5 speaks of God being plenteous in mercy.
Ephesians 2:4 speaks of God being rich in mercy,
Psalms 51:1 speaks of the multitude mercies of God.

We can always trust in His mercy.
Psalms 52:8 says, "I will trust in the mercy of God forever."

"When I think of what I've done today
That I should not have done today

When I think of what I thought today
That I should not have thought today

Lord I thank You for mercy
Lord I thank You for mercy
Lord I thank You for mercy, today

When I think of what I said today,
That I should not have said today

When I think of what I wanted today,
When I think of how I acted today

When I think of how I felt today,
When I think of where I went today

Lord I thank You for mercy
Lord I thank You for mercy
Lord I thank You for mercy, today!"
-- By Carol Antrom

God's mercy is not based on me.
It is based on His mercy and goodness and grace,
So, we can always have confidence as David does in Psalm 23:6 that God's mercy
and goodness will pursue us all the days of our lives.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 118:1, 29)

"For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him."
(Psalm 103:11).

His mercy cannot be measured.
Christians are designated "vessels of mercy." (Romans 9:23)
It is His mercy that quickened us when we were dead in our sins. (Ephesians. 2:4,5)
It is His mercy that saved us. (Titus 3:5).
It is His abundant mercy which gives us an eternal inheritance. (1 Peter 1:3)
Then, there are His preserving, sustaining, pardoning, and supplying mercy.
Unto every Christian, God is "the Father of mercies." (2 Corinthians 1:3)

"When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost,
In wonder, love, and praise."

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days, all the days of my life."

Mercy and goodness, follows us in life.
God will be with us no matter what happens.

God's goodness provides for us and protects us.
God's mercy forgives our sins.

God's goodness will supply.
God's mercy will sooth.

God's goodness will help.
God's mercy will heal.

Goodness is about God giving us good things in life that we don't deserve.
Mercy means God holds back the condemnation we do deserve.

The Hebrew word translated, "follow," is better translated as "pursuit."
This is an active and continuous pursuit.
David is saying that we can always count on God's goodness and mercy to pursue us.
God pursues us with His goodness and mercy because He loves us.
God's goodness and mercy that pursue His sheep all the days of their lives will never cease.
They follow to protect us, and to make sure that we will get to our destination.

Having a confident faith as in Psalm 23:6 is only possible when we realize that
there's no goodness from me, so I need God's goodness pursuing me.
God will not let us, His sheep, wander very far.
In our life, as in our death, He will watch over us, and as many times
as we need it -- He will restore us.

We can be sure that God's good and unchanging love will be our companion
through all the days of our lives.
God is never going to give up on us.
God will always be with us, forgiving us, and keeping all His promises.

F. B. Meyer once said: "There never will come a day throughout all the future in which
we shall not have the two guardian angels [Psalm 35:6 uses same Heb. word:
"the angel of the Lord pursue him"], heavenly escorts, and God-sent messengers,
Goodness and Mercy, who have been told … and commissioned to attend the believer
during all the days of his earthly pilgrimage …

But here is something better than angel help: the personified attributes of God,
His goodness, His mercy; that is, Himself, in all the tenderest manifestations
of His love and pity towards men."

So God's kindness and goodness accompanies me.
That is a present reality, and is a present situation,
He has led us every step of the way.

"All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see."
-- Fanny J. Crosby

As God's sheep, we are assured that goodness and mercy will be ours
as we travel toward our eternal home.
We can be sure as we travel through life, we will always be blessed with sufficient grace.
(2 Corinthians 9:12.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

God's goodness and mercy will pursue me "all the days of my life."
This is true for all the days of my life -- not just some days -- but all the days.
That doesn't mean that we not have difficult times.
The sheep in our psalm went through some difficult times, and so will we.

Through those difficult times, we can sing:

"I'm following Jesus,
One step at a time;
I live for the moment,
In His Love divine.
Why think of tomorrow,
Just live for today;
I'm following Jesus,
Each step of the way.

The pathway is narrow,
But He leads me on;
I walk in His shadow,
My fears are all gone.
My spirit grows stronger,
Each moment, each day,
For Jesus is leading
Each step of the way."
-- Redd Harper

We don't know what future days will bring, but we know that our Shepherd will be
leading us each step of the way.
He has led us every step,
He has made all things well.

Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life;
so I don't have to fear.
He is taking care of things.
He takes good care of us.
And that is a real abiding comfort for all of us.

God will always take care of us.
This is not an empty promise.
God loves us, and He is always looking out for us.
He has been looking out for us every since we became on of His sheep.

"The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine." (Psalm 33:18)

God is our strength when we are weak.
When we are too tired to go on, just lean on God.
He is our strength, our our rock and our deliverer.
He is also our great Provider.

Do you have some pressing need?
Then ask Him.
He is your Heavenly Father, He will not deny you -- His child -- any good thing.

So, you can rest in Him for Jesus never fails.
He will see you through whatever distressful circumstance you are facing.
You can be encouraged for God will always take care of you.

"Be not dismayed whate'er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,
Thru ev'ry day, O'er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you."
-- God Will Take Care of You by Civilla D. Martin, 1869-1948

Sermon adapted from many sources by Dr. Harold L. White