Sunday Devotional: Psalm 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.

Today I want to share with you some thoughts on this verse from C. H. Spurgeon for your edification and encouragement:

This is a fact as indisputable as it is encouraging, and therefore a heavenly verity, or “surely” is set as a seal upon it. This sentence may be read, “only goodness and mercy,” for there shall be unmingled mercy in our history. These twin guardian angels will always be with me at my back and my beck. Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go unattended, so it is with the believer. Goodness and mercy follow him always–“all the days of his life“–the black days as well as the bright days, the days of fasting as well as the days of feasting, the dreary days of winter as well as the bright days of summer. Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins.

“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” “A servant abideth not in the house for ever, but the son abideth ever.” While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper storey of the house of the Lord for ever.

May God grant us grace to dwell in the serene atmosphere of this most blessed Psalm!

Spurgeon gives the following quote from the Puritan writer and preacher William Fenner (1600-1640) from his work THE SACRIFICE OF THE FAITHFUL, which I think is worthy of strong consideration (I have updated some of the words):

A wicked man, it may be, will turn into God’s house, and say a prayer, etc., but the prophet would (and all godly men must) dwell there for ever; his soul lies always at the throne of grace, begging for grace. A wicked man prays as the cock crows; the cock crows and ceases, and crows again, and ceases again, and thinks not of crowing till he crows again: so a wicked man prays and ceases, prays and ceases again: his mind is never busied to think whether his prayers are successful or not; he thinks it is good religion for him to pray, and therefore he takes for granted that his prayers are successful, though in very deed God never hears his prayers, nor no more respects them than he respects the lowing of oxen, or the grunting of hogs.

Have a great week!