No One in Our Lives “At all times” Acts a Sure Method—Besides God

Safe Journey

Absolutely goodness and mercy shall comply with me
      all the times of my life,
and I shall dwell in the home of the LORD
      endlessly. (Ps. 23:6).

I’m positive you might have seen a police escort of an essential dignitary the place some armored automobiles go forward and a few comply with, with the particular particular person within the center, and there are often police escorts on both aspect as effectively. Is there any safer technique to journey? Full safety, excellent safety, full provision: forward and beside and behind. The sense of Psalm 23 is strictly the identical as Psalm 139:

You hem me in, behind and earlier than,
      and lay your hand upon me. (Ps. 139:5)

However now see one thing else that elevates these phrases to a shocking vista. Discover the modifier that begins the verse: “Absolutely.”

Richard Briggs is true to say of this translation that “there’s a trace of gathering up the sooner strains of the poem”¹ in order that it’s a method of summarizing the consequences that can definitely comply with within the wake of the Lord’s shepherding and internet hosting. “Absolutely” is an intensive, affirmative phrase: it will undoubtedly occur.

However I’m wondering if this penetrates deeply sufficient to the profundity of what David is claiming about this shepherd’s care. The identical phrase can, the truth is, be rendered “solely” (because the ESV footnote acknowledges). Translated like this, it has a restrictive sense (which essentially consists of the intensive sense) however goes past it and says extra.

The that means is that David is trying again over his shoulder in any respect that has gone earlier than, and he is ready to confess that he can see the goodness and the steadfast love of God in each single circumstance of life, the valley of the shadow of dying as a lot because the inexperienced pastures and nonetheless waters. “In all that occurs to me,” David is mainly saying, “I see solely his goodness and loving-kindness.” As commentators who provide this translation acknowledge, fairly merely, “The expression is outstanding.”² It’s an astonishing confession of religion that the altering scenes of life, that are stuffed with evil, ache, and struggling, by no means point out a foul God. Slightly, in all that occurs—regardless of all that occurs—those that are led by the shepherd and stroll with the shepherd all the times of their lives can see that God is simply ever good and solely ever loving to his sheep on a regular basis. In Davis’s phrases, “There’s a sure chemistry in believing religion that may mix brute information with buoyant religion.”³

“At all times”

Simply pause to really feel the depth of this. The depth is not only within the circle it attracts round all that occurs however so too within the line it attracts via all that occurs: the Lord is “solely” like this “all the times of my life” (Ps. 23:6). Each. Single. Day. At all times. He has no off days and no half-hearted days. No days the place as a substitute of pursuit he dawdles in his goodness or forgets to comply with in his mercy. No days the place he drops the ball and sends badness and hatred as a substitute of goodness and love. “You might be good and do good” (Ps. 119:68).

You probably have ever had a heated argument with an in depth member of the family, then you might have heard your self say, or heard it stated, “You all the time do such and such.” It’s often a telltale signal that every one sense of proportion and steadiness has been misplaced within the warmth of the second. Such language signifies we might do effectively to retreat to settle down and regain perspective!

“You might be endlessly doing this . . . you’re all the time doing that . . . all the time.”

However, pricey buddy studying this, are you able to see what David is saying? He’s utilizing this sort of language about God, however in reverse. It’s intense, it’s private, it’s so direct in telling God what he all the time does, however it’s the reverse of a heated outburst. As an alternative, it’s a love music: “You, Lord, you all the time do that: you’re all the time good to me, you’re all the time solely ever merciful to me. I’ve blown it so many instances, and but each single time I flip round, I solely ever see your goodness and loving-kindness in shut pursuit.”

Isn’t this superb? Think about only for a second saying to somebody not “you all the time get it improper” however, as a substitute, “you all the time get it proper.” What sort of particular person should somebody be for that to be true? “You all the time do no improper, you by no means commit injustice, you’re all the time merciful, you’re all the time devoted, all the time compassionate, all the time forgiving, all the time variety.” It’s so lovely. Human steadfast love, eighty-one years of affection, may be superb. However are you able to soak up being pursued by God himself, by the goodness of the Lord of the burning bush, by the steadfast love of the Lord Jesus our good shepherd? There’s solely ever goodness and mercy as a result of that is who God is himself.

“Solely”

But we should reckon with the staggering implications of this phrase “solely.” Can it actually be true that there’s “solely” goodness and steadfast love following me. Actually? In my life, and in yours, I’m positive, it typically seems like there are many issues that aren’t good and never loving, and people issues appear to be successful.

Is it attainable to consider this “solely” and to stay with this hope?

I tremble as I write these strains, and a few of us will tremble to learn them. Possibly proper now you’re within the realm of uncooked, brutal realities which have ravaged your life, and it appears unimaginable past perception that you simply may ever mix these with “buoyant religion.” Dying. Sickness. Damage. Infertility. Grief. You might be proper there within the valley of the shadow of dying. Darkness appears your closest buddy, your solely buddy; bewilderment and perplexity pursue you. Goodness and mercy are nowhere to be seen, by no means thoughts the “solely” issues to be seen.

Let me say, as we wrestle with this theology, that if your personal present expertise can’t deal with this angle, simply take time to notice the vantage level of the visitor right here in Psalm 23:6: goodness and mercy are pursuing him. He’s transferring ahead, and they’re behind him. Generally, solely once we look again on occasions will we ever have the ability to see the goodness and steadfast love of the Lord in them. When you can’t really feel it now, the Lord remains to be with you within the valley. He’ll nonetheless stroll with you with out fail all of your days, and sooner or later it could be that you simply look again on the worst of experiences, probably the most dreadful of instances, the deepest of darkish valleys, and it is possible for you to say, “I see it now: God’s goodness and God’s mercy by no means left me, even then.”

Many commentators helpfully counsel that David’s personal expertise teaches us this. A sordid affair, incest, homicide, civil warfare, and the dying of his kids—we must always not underestimate the lived wilderness expertise of the atypical man who penned this psalm. “Maybe a few of the good was behind him, defending him, however he selected to show other than it. But as he regarded again he may vividly bear in mind the great that adopted him.”⁴ Lived expertise doesn’t must be the one lens for our circumstances.

When you can’t really feel it now, the Lord remains to be with you within the valley.

An Anchor in Ache

Additionally it is attainable within the life of religion to return to a lived conviction “that for individuals who love God all issues work collectively for good” (Rom. 8:28). This conviction doesn’t erase the ache within the second, however it could anchor it and supply a compass level within the valley as we carry up our ache to God. There’s a refrain of devoted witnesses—stretching all the way in which again via church historical past, into the pages of Scripture to King David, and again past him within the storyline of redemption—who proclaim to us in our ache that the shepherd has not deserted us. Every one teaches us that God is figuring out his sovereign functions for our lives completely consistent with who he’s as the good “I’m,” our Lord of covenant faithfulness.

That is the story of the Bible. Jacob, one in all Scripture’s scoundrels, who knew such ache and heartache in his personal life via his personal sin and the sins of others, nonetheless confesses on the finish: God “has been my shepherd all my life lengthy to at the present time” (Gen. 48:15). It’s outstanding that the primary reference to God as shepherd within the Bible is private earlier than it’s company. Consider Joseph, Moses, Hannah, Naomi, Ruth, and David, to call only a few in redemption’s nice story. Ask believers who’ve been via the darkest valley, the fiery furnace, the deep waters—ask them what it was like, and they’re going to every say to you, “The Lord was with me.”⁵

The Lord is with you.

On the funeral of my niece, Leila Judith Grace, who arrived into the world stillborn, we sang an excellent hymn that some attribute to John Calvin, “I Greet Thee, Who My Positive Redeemer Artwork.” It comprises this lovely verse:

Thou hast the true and excellent gentleness,
no harshness hast thou and no bitterness:
make us to style the candy grace present in thee
and ever keep in thy candy unity.⁶

As my brother and his spouse have typically talked about since Leila’s dying, typically these items are finest contemplated by reverent, affected person silence as we acknowledge that the shepherd’s true and excellent gentleness is pursuing us by a sore windfall.

Generally, with Job, we have to be taught to cowl our mouths and to attend on God, lest we accuse the shepherd of bitter harshness towards his sheep. Generally these items are finest sung via tears and sung by religion within the night time, not by sight.

However every time the confession of religion is similar: the Lord is nice, and he’s solely ever good. And in all his methods with all his individuals he solely ever sends goodness and mercy.

This text is customized from The Lord of Psalm 23: Jesus Our Shepherd, Companion, and Host by David Gibson.

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