by Emily Wooten
When we were children many of us learned the 23rd Psalm. In it is a verse that I think we may have overlooked.
Psalms 23:6 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.
What does it mean to have goodness and mercy following? The word translated follow in that scripture has many variations: to follow after, pursue, and aim eagerly to secure. Who would not enjoy feeling secure and safe?
Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
God’s ways are perfect. This one says he is a buckler, which means to defend, cover and protect.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
In this scripture we are encouraged to be courageous. He promises to be with us. and strengthen us. He will help us. That word help is the same word used to describe feeding a baby with nourishment. He will uphold us. That word includes being held or supported.
Romans 8:31 Paul tells us, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
The failure comes when we don’t acknowledge or choose to retain God’s promises in our memory, with him being viewed as our champion.
Psalm 121:7–8 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:
All God asks us to do is you trust and obey. Even in times of challenges God is waiting for us to surrender our fears and trust him, hear him and obey him.
Have you ever had a situation where you felt like you shouldn’t do something but you did anyway? We can relate to that because we sometimes don’t see the reason why. If we train ourselves to listen to the Holy Spirit, he will warn us and instruct us. It is God’s good pleasure to help his children but it depends on our ability to hear and willingness to do.
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