[Unboxing Psalm 23] the House of the LordSample

Goodness and Loyal Love

In the Great Shepherd, I am made complete; in the Great Shepherd, I am at peace; in the Great Shepherd, I am restored and made righteous; in the Great Shepherd, I am not alone; in the Great Shepherd, I am abundantly blessed. These theme statements of the first five verses of this wonderful Psalm express what the Shepherd has done for David. In verse 6, David concludes his song of praise for the amazing care of the Great Shepherd.

Psalm 23:6a says: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” As David wrote in this last verse, you can rest assured and be certain that the goodness and loyal love of God–which is the translation for the Hebrew word hessed–will follow you all the days of your life. What a great statement of faith from David! He is saying this during a difficult time in his life, while he is hiding in a cave from his enemies, who are after him. However, David’s focus has changed; he is no longer seeing his enemies pursuing him, but the goodness and loyal love of God.

Has there been a time in your life when you were facing difficulties and hard times but were able to see God’s goodness and loyal love in the midst of it all? If you truly believe in His goodness and mercy, then you know there is no difficulty, trouble, or disaster that God cannot turn out for your good, because He is a good God.

W. Phillip Keller, author of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, wrote: “I love Him because He first loved me. His goodness and mercy and compassion to me are new every day. And my assurance is lodged in these aspects of His character. My trust is in His love for me as His own. My serenity has as its basis an implicit, unshakable reliance on His ability to do the right thing, the best thing in any given situation. This to me is the supreme portrait of my Shepherd.”

When David wrote about the goodness and loyal love of the Lord, it was because he had experienced it in his life over and over. There is a transformative aspect in the love of Jesus Christ that pursues us vigorously.

Do you believe the Lord pursues you with His lovingkindness? How might this belief transform your responses or even your life?

Think about the number of times the goodness and loyal love of God showed up in moments of distress, difficulty, or struggle.