”Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Psalm 23:6)
I was in the drive-thru at Whataburger in Corpus Christi, Texas in my 1984 red mustang listening to the latest 80’s hits. I happened to glance into my rearview mirror. My body froze as I saw his menacing face. It was my abusive ex-boyfriend. How long had he been following me? I got my food and made a quick exit, deciding to head to the house of a friend of mine who lived on Padre Island. It was a terrifying ride over the bridge to the Island as he hugged my bumper and drove inches beside me trying to force me to pull over.
How about you? Have you ever been stalked or followed? It sure doesn’t sound like a good thing does
it? Meditate on the above verse from Psalm 23.
When we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, He becomes our Good
Shepherd. He not only guides and
provides for us, but also sends His goodness and mercy to follow us…all the
days of our lives! The storms, the deep
valleys, the heartbreaking losses when friends despise and forsake us, through the
piercing pain of wayward children; His presence is still with us and His
goodness and mercy are following us. I
often counsel ones going through gut wrenching trials to “look up.” I can also exhort them to “look behind” with
eyes of faith and see His goodness and mercy.
They are always there, following us, whether we feel them or not. Cling to His promises and proclaim this truth
until it truly fills your heart.
By God’s goodness and mercy I arrived safely at my friend’s
home, but, unfortunately, that was not the last of the struggles I had with
that young man. I stubbornly chose to
defy sound counsel and put myself in harms way rather than look to my Good
Shepherd to fill the void in my heart. However, I had received Him as my Savior
in sixth grade, and He followed me!
“I fled Him down the nights and days
I fled Him down the path of years
I heard all about the love of the One
Who was following me
I clung to every shallow friend
The whistling mane of every wind
I feared that once I tasted that love
I could never let go…”
(Hound of Heaven, Michael Card)
How about you? Do you have a loved one on the run from the
Hound of Heaven? Turn your despair into prayer. My sweet mother spent many
sleepless nights praying for me. If they are His, He will not let them go. Even in the midst of painful consequences of
sin, His goodness and mercy are following them.
Now contemplate the last words of 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 forever.”
His goodness and mercy in this life and heaven too! We will see Him face to face, and dwell with
Him forever.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Cheryl Lutz is
passionate to teach women how to tear down strongholds and find freedom in
Christ. A pastor’s wife for twenty-five years, Cheryl possesses a vibrant love
for teaching the Word of God. She is the founder of Securely Held,
LLC, where she works as a trained and experienced lay counselor and
speaker.
You may
contact Cheryl through her blog at:www.securelyheld.com
On
Facebook: www.facebook.com/securelyheld
Twitter:
@clutz40
Email: clutz40@gmail.com
