“Surely goodness and love (mercy) will follow me all the days of my life,” (Psalm 23:6)
The Good Shepherd is pleased with us. The Hebrew word for goodness that is used here is not referring to the goodness of the sheep. David is not saying that he will leave a “trail of goodness” wherever he goes. The word is used to describe “pleasure” or “satisfaction” and, in this case, the Shepherd’s pleasure with His sheep. That’s right. God not only loves us…He likes us! God is pleased with His sheep. He enjoys watching over us and it “blesses” Him to see us thrive as His people. Paul said to the Church in Corinth,
“So, we make it our goal to please Him” (2 Cor. 5:9)
It is good to be pleasing to God! To know that He enjoys us and being around us should bring us a sense of security as well as joy. When we sense God’s pleasure it brings a confidence in all we do. We can be ourselves and know that He loves us just the way we are.
This confidence that we have knowing that the “goodness” or “pleasure” of God follows us, allows us to be better servants to those around us as well. If we are pleasing to God and accepted by Him then we don’t have to seek the approval of others to feel loved. We are free to serve them and put their needs above ours because we know that we are taken care of. This is a testimony…a witness to others of what it is like to be under the care of the Good Shepherd. Even our enemies are effected! It is written in the Book of Proverbs;
“When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)
Maybe that is why the Apostle Paul always made such a big deal about living to please God and not men. We can make ourselves miserable trying to please others instead of our Shepherd who takes care of us. He wants to experience His pleasure…His goodness today. He enjoys taking care of you. You are not a burden to Him. Think about it, we are actually a blessing to God when we turn to Him, fellowship with Him, listen to Him and rely on Him. He loves that!
“Surely, God’s pleasure follows us”.
He enjoys watching over you. He is pleased to have you in His flock. You are not an unwanted sheep…you are a chosen sheep that brings Him joy. Rejoice in that fact today. Receive the blessings that come with His pleasure and…hear His voice as He speaks to your heart this day.