Reflections on the Road: Week Fourteen

 

Reflections on the Road

Week Fourteen

"Pursued by Goodness and Mercy"

Focus Passage: Psalm 23

Focus Verse: Psalm 23:6

Bible Reading: Acts 3-9

      I am the primary cook in our household of five. It's not because my wife is a bad cook, if anything she is an exceptional cook. I have the joy of cooking dinners because I love it. I first mastered culinary skills when I was a bachelor. I quickly grew tired of eating ramen noodles, Pizza rolls, Chinese takeout, and McDonald's. Cooking for myself as a bachelor was easy because I was able to cook whatever I liked. Cooking for three children who do not have anywhere near the same palette is not easy. Typically on any given night one of my children will say dinner was so good while another one will say it is yucky. The joys of parenting. Traditionally my children do not like food that is good for them, ie green food like broccoli. I tell them that it doesn't matter if they like it, it's good for them. Our devotional today will focus on God's goodness, and God's goodness doesn't always seem good to us. Sometimes God's goodness is more like broccoli instead of ice cream. 

      The testimony of the sheep begins to wind down with some very encouraging words in verse six, "Surely goodness and mercy (loving kindness) will follow me all the days of my life."  Sheep are not known for their boldness or confidence.  If anything they are know for their trepidation and fear.  But the sheep uses a very bold word to describe the reliability of their shepherd, the word surely.  The idea of 'surely' is a guarantee, it is a promissory note, it is an indisputable fact, it has the seal of the shepherd upon it.  The word surely sets up something that the sheep can be assured of, something they can have total confidence in.  What can the sheep find total, unswerving confidence in? The sheep finds ZERO assurance in himself but instead anchors himself to the Shepherd,  the goodness and mercy of the Shepherd (God).  Charles Spurgeon called God's goodness and mercy our 'twin guardian angels.'  God is good to us (all the time).  His goodness is not fickle nor deserved.  It is not based on the circumstances and status of our life.  God is good to us because He is good.  It is part of His character as a loving Father.  God showers us as His children with goodness in ways that we will never understand on this side of heaven.  But goodness does not come alone, He is also merciful.  Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve.  Lamentations tells us that God's mercies are new every morning.  The reason why God's mercies are new each morning is because we daily transgress against His holiness.  God's mercy is freely given to us through Jesus Christ.  I can't buy it, work for it, or earn it.  Like God's goodness, His mercy is one of His unchanging and undeniable attributes.  The sheep doubles down on His assurance of this promise as he says "all the days of my life."  This reinforces the fact that God's goodness and mercy will not evaporate in difficult times.  Once again Spurgeon mentioned that as princes do not travel unattended, nor do we as Christians go without the attendants of mercy and goodness.  Where ever we may go, rich or poor, feast or famine, cold or hot, blackest of night or brightest of day, smile or frown God's goodness and mercy will always be there for us.  Unlike the weather and world about us, God does not change, nor does his goodness or Mercy. 

Reflections on the Road

God's goodness or Mercy never changes. This week's challenge is to think of how God has expressed to you those twin traits of goodness and mercy. Remember that God's goodness might not always initially seem good. Right now, no matter what, God is surely showing you goodness and mercy.