“SURELY” “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:6. As we live life in light of Psalm 23:1-5 we have a growing amount of experience of God’s Shepherding care in our life. And as David was brought to the banquet table by God (vs.5), we are brought to the same table by God through Jesus Christ our Lord who traded places with us. Incredible realities! David does not follow all of that up with, “boy…I sure hope it lasts”, or “I better not screw this up!”, or “what if in 35 years I mess up royally?” No, David follows this description of God’s abundant love/care/provision (vs. 1-5), and is about to enter a description of the staggeringly wonderful blessings yet to come with a single word that is worthy of our full attention… SURELY. We have seen that there exists a close and inseparable relationship between the Good Shepherd and His sheep; an unbreakable bond unites them. David begins this verse by underscoring the certainty of this indissoluble union by using the word “Surely”. But we wrestle with this certainty. We struggle with our assurance. Life is filled with uncertainties. “What’s for lunch?” might rate a .005. “What will the results of the PET scan be?” might rate a 7 or an 8. “Is my relationship with God ‘right’?” is the biggest question of them all because it’s the only one that transcends this lifetime. Uncertainty over that one is the greatest uncertainty of all. Church historian Richard Lovelace has written that many Christians, “below the surface of their lives are guilt-ridden and insecure and draw the assurance of their acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.” (Pause and think about from where you draw your assurance. Is my relationship with God right? What do I base that answer on?”) Jerry Bridges (in his book, The Gospel for Real Life) asks, “Why is this true? Why do so many believers, including those deeply serious about their Christian commitment, live lives of quiet desperation? One answer is that we have a truncated view of the gospel, tending to see it only as a door we walk through to become a Christian. In this view, the gospel is only for unbelievers. Once you become a Christian, you don’t need it anymore except to share with people who are still outside the door.” As if it’s a door standing in the middle of nowhere. The gospel is seen as a door we walk through to enter the faith when in fact it’s the House we live in as people of faith. Paul says about 27 times in his letters that we are “in Christ.” Hear God’s Word through the Apostle Paul as written to the Ephesians, “You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Jerry Bridges writes, “This good news doesn’t begin when we die. It certainly does address that issue, but it also tells us that there is good news for us now. We don’t have to feel guilt-ridden and insecure in our relationship with God. We don’t have to wonder if He likes us. We can begin each day with the deeply encouraging realization that I am accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.” (The Gospel for Real Life) If David, who knew God The Father and was looking forward to a coming Messiah was able to confidently proclaim his trust in God by saying “Surely”, how much more can we – who know the Messiah’s name and are given the gift of His Word and the grace of His presence through the indwelling of His Spirit? We can say with joy and certainty, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
