It's A Sure Thing

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life... " - Psalm 23:6 NKJV


Let's break this Scripture down: 'Surely goodness and mercy.' People may disappoint you, but God's goodness and mercy are sure things! 'With [God] there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency' (James 1:17 PHPS). Our devotion to God may falter, but His devotion to us never does: 'If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful... ' (2 Timothy 2:13 NLT). David didn't say, 'maybe, possibly, I hope so, I've a hunch'. No, he said, 'Surely' and that's a promise you can stand on. 'Shall follow me.' That sounds like another promise God made to His people: 'all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee... ' (Deuteronomy 28:2). Note the words: 'follow... come on... overtake'. You can't get away from them! God's goodness and mercy followed Jonah to the bottom of the sea, Daniel into the lions' den, and John into exile, opening heaven to him. Stop and look back. Think of the scrapes God's brought you through, the messes He's helped clean up, the doors He's opened, and what do you see? Blessings you don't deserve, can't escape, and are new every morning. With God, it's a sure thing! 'All the days of my life.' Think of the days ahead and what do you see? Days at home raising a family? Days in a dead-end job, struggling to get ahead? Days of loneliness and poor health? Days of caring for a sick loved one? Days of battling disappointment and depression? 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.' Goodness to provide, and mercy to pardon; you'll never have a day without them!

Trust God! Trust God! Trust God!

Hard times energise some people, yet paralyse others. Look at David. Everything he touched turned to gold: Samuel anointed him to be king; he defeated Goliath; Saul chose him as a musician and warrior; the army loved him and wrote songs about him. Then his life fell apart. He lost his job and his marriage failed; Samuel his old mentor died; his best friend Jonathan couldn't help him, and Saul's soldiers hounded him until he had to hide in a cave. At some point we all do time in the cave! It's where you end up when all your earthy supports are gone. It's where you learn important things about yourself that you can't learn anywhere else. It's where God does some of His best work in moulding you into the likeness of Christ. It's where your worst inadequacies confirm that you're out of your depth, and where God sends His power to flow through your weakness. When David prayed, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living,' he'd no way of knowing there was a crown in his future, or that he wasn't going to die in hiding. For all he knew, this cave he was in right now might be as good as it gets. When you're in a situation you can't fix, can't change and can't escape, trust God! Trust God! Trust God! As long as your sense of security is tied solely to your success, it'll always be fragile. But when you know that God is with you even at your lowest point, you can handle the cave and come out stronger!

Balloons

Dr. James Dobson writes: "I attended a wedding in a beautiful garden setting in which 150 colourful helium balloons were released into the California sky. Within seconds they were scattered across the heavens - some rising hundreds of feet, others cruising toward the horizon. They all began from the same launching pad, were filled with the same helium, and ascended into the same conditions. Yet within minutes they were separated by a mile or more. A few balloons struggled to clear the upper branches of trees, while the show-offs became mere pinpoints of colour on their journey to the sky. How interesting, I thought - and how symbolic of children."

Parent, you help determine how high your child will rise. So: (a) Create the right climate in your home. The words you speak, the order you establish, the music and television programmes you allow, are moulding their character and their future. If you're too busy to notice these things - you're too busy! (b) Give them the right mentors. Ruth followed Naomi. Timothy followed Paul. Your children are going to follow someone. The question is, who? Your best defences against destructive influences are offensive teaching and a Christ-like example. Read God's Word to them each day. Pray over them - and with them. Do it! Don't be shy. The molester and drug dealer are not shy. Speak up! You can't improve on the words of Pharaoh's daughter, given to Moses' mother as she saved her son from the waters of the Nile that would have consumed him. "Take this child home and nurse him for me… I will pay you for your help."

Parent, you have no greater responsibility! And if you do it right, you'll have no greater reward