Goodness And Mercy

Goodness and Mercy

Psalms 23

I have preached to you a lot lately concerning the life of David. We see him throughout scripture in all facets of life. We can see him on the mountain top moment, such as when he defeated Goliath, and when he was anointed king. But we have also seen David in his low moments, such as when he sinned against the Lord, and the various times his enemies almost killed him. *But irregardless of where he was, his life was founded on his relationship with God. No matter where you see him, he was chasing the heart of God. Yes, he sinned at times and messed up, but wanting God’s heart he repented and came back to the Lord.

He knew God very well, and wrote about him here in what is probably the most profound/popular scripture in the entire Bible, the 23rd Psalm. He knew God as a shepherd that provided for his needs to be met, and causing him to lie down and rest in green pastures (in other words, places of fulfillment/blessings). He knew God to be a restorer of his soul in times of brokenness, and one that led him in righteous pathways, for his name’s sake. He knew him to be a protector, that even when he went into the low valley of death he knew he had nothing to fear because the Lord was certainly with him, with a rod and a staff. God was even preparing tables to feast off of right in the presence of his enemies, as if there was already a certainty to victory. He knew God to be one that anointed him, causing his cup of joy to overflow. *God had proven to him over and over that he will be anything you need, any moment, any time, for any reason! He is our God, he is our shepherd, and as long as you are following him, you will never want for anything!

But I want to preach to you about V.6. David says, “Lord, all my life you have been there. You were there when I was watching over my father’s sheep and I had to wrestle a lion and a bear. You were with me when I stood before the giant of the Philistines. You were with me when Saul tried everything he could to get me killed. You were with me when I went to get the ark and bring it back to Jerusalem. You were with me through every war I had to fight. You were with me when I committed adultery and needed to be forgiven. All my life, you have been there. And no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get away from your goodness and your mercy. When I look behind my shoulder, there it is. When I speed up, goodness and mercy are still tracking me down. When I hide behind a wall of offense, you know just where to find me. I just can’t get away from the goodness and the mercy of the Lord!”

I guarantee you, this still works today. I can’t speak for anyone else, but all my life his goodness and mercy has been following me. Through divorced families and wrecked homes, through years of rejection and hurt, through years of hatred and despair, his goodness and mercy has been chasing after me. Even when I turned away from him and withdrew fellowship with the Lord, his goodness and mercy was still coming after me. It followed me when the cabinets were empty and I had no money for food. It followed me when Erica had a brain tumor, and needed a miracle. It followed me when Andrea woke up and couldn’t walk one morning. It followed me when my heart was broken over circumstances of life. *I can’t help it, I’m blessed with the goodness and mercy of God!

Some of you here today need to start looking behind your shoulder, because while your moping around saying how bad life is, goodness and mercy are following after you. You think life couldn’t get any worse, but if you’ll take a good look, you’ll see his goodness and mercy taking every step along with you. You are blessed coming in/going out. You are made the righteousness of God, and are an heir to a promise. This same God that has brought you out of so much is chasing after you to give you the miracle you need! Shout it out to the devil: I’m blessed and I can’t help it!

Let me talk to you about goodness, then about mercy.

Psalms 31:19 “How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world”.NLT