What About the Future?I was visiting a woman who was 91 years old. I said, “You are a smart woman to be able to keep house and live by yourself at 91.” “Yes,” she replied, “but I don’t know what I'll do when winter comes.” Concern for the future is often on our minds, so much so, that we don’t enjoy the present because we’re worried about the future. In Romans 8:38, the Apostle Paul expressed his confidence -- “For I am convinced that neither death nor life...neither the present nor the future...will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” NIV In Psalm 23:6 David also sums up his confidence in God, Who is a good and faithful Shepherd: nothing was going to separate him from his Shepherd either. “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” You'll note that David says “surely;” not probably, or maybe. How could David be so sure? Because he had tested God in many hard experiences of life, and God had never failed; He had found God absolutely trustworthy and dependable. “Surely GOODNESS..." What a remarkable statement. In all the changes and circumstances of life, God works for our good and His glory. Romans 8:28. We do not always see this until afterward. Job, covered with boils, could see no good in that experience, but God does move finally in behalf of His child. This should fill us with joy, in the midst of trials. “Surely goodness and MERCY..." or unfailing love “will follow me ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE.” God’s goodness is for our needs, God's mercy is for our faults. How much we need God’s mercy. Any one of my sins would shut me off from God if He dealt with me in justice. But God is merciful. The prodigal son, which Jesus told about, thought of the goodness of the father and it caused him to turn his feet toward home. But his father in mercy ran to meet the son, fell on his neck and kissed him; put a ring on his finger, a robe, and a feast. “Follow” can also be translated “pursue.” If the Lord Jesus is your Shepherd and you are His sheep, goodness and mercy will never let us go. As F. B. Meyer wrote, “We are well escorted, with a Shepherd in front and these twin angels behind!" “AND” the future -- "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” The language of the 23rd Psalm begins with an absolute negative -- “I shall not want,” and it closes with absolute certainty. David looked to the future in happy confidence. He is singing about his personal, intimate relationiship with God. Psalm 27:4. David wanted to be in the Lord’s house, because then he would be with the Lord! The emphasis is not where David will be, but Whom he will be with. Whatever heaven is, it is primarily a place where we will be with Christ. John 14:2,3. The future is barren without God. You’ll notice the 23rd Psalm begins and ends with God. Do you know Him as your Savior and Guide? Scores of people can recite this Psalm, who do not know the Shepherd personally. John 1:12. You can have a personal relationship with God by taking Jesus as your Savior from sin. Then you don’t need to worry about the future, because your relationship with God goes on “forever.” (Note the personal pronouns in this Psalm. If you know Christ as your Savior, you can use those pronouns to refer to yourself.) -- A. Theodore Ekholm |
