“ Surely Goodness…” Psalm 23:6
For a long time I was confused about this word, “goodness”. What is good?
If my family and I go to Olive Garden and the new dish we try is delicious we will say “It’s good.”
If I find a person to be exceedingly kind or giving or righteous, I will identify them as a “good” person.
So when I started meditating on this verse months ago, “surely goodness…will follow me all the days of my life”, I mistakenly thought that goodness following me meant God would be constantly making me more and more righteous, conforming me to His image as it were; But the word goodness used here has more to do with favor or blessing than it does with righteousness. To have goodness following me means that the blessing of God is constantly upon my life. Practically it means that everything that happens to me will somehow work out for my benefit.
The Bible bears this out in the writing of the Apostle Paul, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
That means everything, even the bad stuff, is bringing about a blessing for my life if I follow it to its conclusion….And there is the rub. So many times we fail to receive the goodness because we don’t continue to walk with God in a situation until He can bring the blessing out of it: We get fed up and leave the church; We get sick of being sick and grow bitter with Jesus who has “held up” our healing; We get tired of waiting for that certain someone to change and walk out on the relationship.
Somehow though if we can just keep next to the Shepherd in the midst of our circumstance He will cause His blessing and goodness to follow us all the days of our lives.
So how is goodness following you today?
Reinventing the We'll 