The Bible is full of statements from people just like you and me who convey confidence in God and His Word. Paul, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Job shared with confidence, that “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25). Abraham was “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:21). The apostle John said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:13-14).
This list of scripture verses could continue, but I want you to see that David’s choice of the word “surely” is consistent with God’s Word and His desire for us to have confidence in Him. He has not left us here on this earth to aimlessly wander about, but He has a plan and purpose for each of our lives. We should be confident in the fact that “goodness and mercy” will follow us all our days.
“Goodness” is a characteristic of and a gift from God. If you review the concordance in the back of your Bible, you will find the word “good” is used more than eight hundred times. The word “mercy” means unmerited kindness and is used more than two hundred fifty times in Scripture. You would therefore think that these are terms that God wants us to understand. It is God’s nature to be merciful, forgiving, and benevolent. He surrounds our lives with blessings and acts of grace and mercy. I heard a pastor once say, “Goodness represents all that He bestows on us that we don’t deserve. Mercy represents all that He withholds that we do deserve.”
If you are struggling to maintain a good attitude and be joyful, I recommend you look up some of these verses about God’s goodness and mercy. Be “surely” certain of it—that God loves you. He is the Good Shepherd who desires only the best for us, for our good and His glory! The final line in Psalm 23, “all the days of my life,” implies forever. There are no black out days or vacations for God. There are no exclusions, exceptions, or exemptions for His goodness and mercy. God is always at work. His work is infinite. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so He will always be working in and through us.
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