Trust

Part of today's reading was a trip down memory lane. The very first passage of the Bible I ever memorized was Psalm 23. I memorized it for a girl's group at church when I was 7 years old, and it has stuck with me ever since. There have been times when this chapter has been a comfort to me. Here, I'm going to paste it here in the King James Version- there just isn't a better translation than the traditional one.

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I love that. Let's talk about verse 6 today, shall we? Right there at it's very beginning- "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." It says surely! It doesn't say maybe or perhaps, or if I behave it might happen. It says that surely God's presence will be there every day for the rest of my life. You know how some days you just don't feel like God's hanging out with you at all? That's the devil taking the opportunity to creep in and plant some doubt. We can trust that our God will be with us on ALL days. His presence is what makes great days even better, and keeps the bad days from getting any worse. This isn't a promise that all our days will be rosy and perfect, but rather more like a marriage vow. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, as long as I shall live. It's a promise!

And when we believe this promise and trust in this promise we bring God's presence smack dab into our problems. It is not a promise of maybe or hopefully, it's a promise of surely. Whether Our Shepherd leads us through dark valleys or high hills, he is there every single day. And as each day that trust grows stronger, so does that trust. And look at the reward for that trust in God! We get to dwell in his house forever. I can dream of an estate here on earth, but nothing can beat that eternal reward in God's house forever. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."