Introduction

If you’ve ever felt shadowed by worry, stalked by regret, or tailed by the long to-do list that never seems to shrink, you’re in good company. David knew what it meant to have enemies at his heels and storms at his door. And yet, out of that life he sings a line so surprising it feels like a sunrise breaking on a bleak night: the ones following him weren’t fear and failure but the faithful kindness of God. Imagine that. When you glance over your shoulder, what if—right there—are grace and goodness, steady as sunrise, patient as your next breath?

David chooses a shepherd’s word. Not a lazy lag, but a lively pursuit. Goodness doesn’t just hang back; mercy doesn’t meander. They chase. God’s care is not casual; His compassion is not occasional. It is persistent. It is personal. It is present in Monday meetings and midnight moments, in hospital hallways and kitchen tables, in the thick of the mess and the thin of our strength. Have you noticed how often the Lord’s kindness shows up precisely where you thought it couldn’t? When peace tiptoes into an anxious heart. When hope hums in a hospital room. When forgiveness finds you in the place you feared you’d be forever stuck.

"The best of all is, God is with us." — John Wesley

That simple sentence is like a hand on your shoulder. It reminds us that the Shepherd doesn’t send supplies from a distance; He stays. He doesn’t just write promises; He walks beside us. And because He is with us, His goodness and mercy are not random raindrops; they are a steady, sweet rain that softens hard ground and awakens new life.

Listen again to David’s line and let it land where you need it most today—on the frayed edge of your patience, over the ache you can’t name, into the questions you can’t quiet. Could it be that God’s kindness has been closer than you thought? Could it be that the grace you need is already on your heels, eager to catch you, willing to carry you?

Scripture — Psalm 23:6 (KJV) "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

This is not a thin promise. It is thick with assurance. Goodness and mercy for all the days—ordinary days, hard days, high days, low days. And then, after the calendar runs out of pages, a forever home with God. Not a guest pass, but a welcome that never wears out. In a world where so much fades, this tender word does not.

So as we open our hearts today, let’s expect the Shepherd to do what He loves to do—restore, refresh, and remind. Let’s ask Him to let His goodness catch us, His mercy cover us, and His presence calm us. And let’s begin by speaking to Him together.

Opening Prayer: Father, we thank You that Your goodness is not scarce and Your mercy is not stingy. Thank You that Your kindness does not keep its distance but comes close, closer than our fear and nearer than our shame. We bring You our scattered thoughts, our tired hands, our thin hope. Gather us. Steady us. Let Your Word be a warm blanket for cold hearts and a strong plank for shaky faith.

Lord Jesus, Shepherd of our souls, let Your goodness overtake our anxiety and Your mercy mend what we cannot fix. Chase down our doubts with Your faithfulness. Fill this room with the hush of Your peace, the hum of Your hope, and the healing of Your presence. Holy Spirit, open our ears to hear, our eyes to see, and our hearts to receive every grace You have prepared for us.

We believe that all our days are held by Your hand, and we believe that forever with You is our promised home. Make that truth sweet to us now. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Goodness and mercy pursue us

There is a strong verb tucked inside the line from Psalm 23. The word often translated “follow” carries the weight of pursuit. It paints a picture of steady feet and alert eyes, of care that moves toward you. This is not a slow tail at a distance. This is active, near, intentional presence that keeps coming.

Think about days when your strength is thin. Tasks pile up. People need you. The text says you are not moving through those hours alone. Help is already in motion. Help does not wait for you to earn it. Help has your name on it. You do not set the pace. Grace does.

This is true in small places. A kind word at the right time. A thought that calms you when worry starts to swell. A door that opens when a plan falls apart. It is also true in deep places. Tears that finally fall. A phone call you were afraid to make. A slow softening where there has been a hard wall for years. These are not accidents. They point to a Shepherd who is active and near.

Psalm 23 sits inside a story of a God who makes a world, calls a people, and keeps a promise. The same God speaks here. He does not change moods from day to day. His goodness carries the same shine whether life feels bright or dim. His mercy carries the same strength whether you feel bold or small. The psalmist is teaching us to read our days with that lens.

Notice the word at the front of the line: “Surely.” It is a word of certainty. It closes the door on doubt. The singer is not guessing. He speaks like someone who knows the heart of the Lord. Scripture shows why he can talk this way. God has tied His name to kindness. He binds Himself to His people with covenant love. He does not run hot and cold. That is why the line does not wobble. “Surely” means you can count on this when you wake up and when you lie down, when the plan goes right and when it does not, when you are strong and when you are spent. “Surely” means your feelings may shift, but His posture toward you holds steady. Let that short word build a long memory in you.

Look next at “goodness.” In Hebrew, the word is tov. It is the word used in Genesis when God looked at His work and called it good. It speaks of what is life-giving, fitting, and whole. God’s goodness is not only a warm feeling. It takes shape as provision at the right time, wisdom for a hard choice, strength for a duty that cannot be skipped, and correction that keeps you from a cliff. Goodness gives gifts, and goodness also trains. It feeds your soul with truth, it grows your character, it makes you more steady. You can see signs of it in daily bread and in daily growth. You can see it in doors God opens and in doors He keeps closed. When Psalm 23 says goodness comes after you, it means God keeps bringing what truly benefits you, even when you would have picked a different way.

Now rest on the word “mercy.” The Hebrew word is hesed. It is loyal love. It is kindness that stays. It is patient care that keeps its promise. Hesed holds you when you stumble. It forgives real wrong. It keeps drawing you back when you wander. This is the love that brought Israel out of Egypt and carried them through a hard land. This is the love fulfilled in Jesus, who carries our sin and gives us His life. Mercy does not excuse harm; it deals with it, heals it, and rebuilds what sin has cracked. When Psalm 23 says mercy comes after you, it means your past does not get the last say. It means there is fresh help for the same old struggle. It means shame does not have the wheel. Mercy moves toward the mess and does the clean work of grace.

Hear the time frame in the verse. “All the days of my life.” That covers quiet mornings and loud nights. It includes long waits and quick answers, smooth seasons and rough patches, years that make sense and years that do not. There is no gap in the schedule. You will be carried by goodness and mercy in youth and in age, in work and in rest, in health and in weakness. And the line does not stop at the edge of time. The psalm points beyond the last breath to a settled life with God. The Shepherd who keeps you today will keep you then. His care now is a sign of a home that will not be taken away. That promise steadies your steps when the road bends. It gives courage to love well, to forgive, to stand, to keep walking, because you are being kept.

Unfailing love through all our days

Hear the line again: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO