Today was a great church day. I was able to hear and internalize what pastor preached about. This does not happen often, seriously. With three girls who are up and down all the time, who need to get a drink or they will die, who have to go to the bathroom so bad, who even have the blow thier nose or their life will end...I feel often as I am there only to tell them to "shhh." But today, I was able to sit and listen (and the girls did too).
"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life..." Psalm 23:6.
I have pondered, taught, meditated, shared, been preached at and even heard this at many funerals. This psalm was the main message of my great grandma's funeral in fact. I love it. I, like so many, find comfort in this psalm of David. It is beautifully written and, I think, most people can relate to it in some way or another.
But this verse at the end of the psalm...goodness and love will follow me. The english does not do this psalm it's justice. Flip over to the Hebrew language and you get 'radaph': to run after, chase, hunt, pursue.
Do you get it? God is not following us from a distance trying to just sprinkle us with His goodness (pleasure, joy, kindness, bounty, wealth) and love (beauty, mercy, favor)...absolutley not! He is hunting us down, endlessly pursuing us and forcing His uncounditional nature on us whether we like it or not. Why? Because He is desparate for us. Because we need Him.
As I look at unbelievers I think, "God's goodness and love does not skip them. They are so blessed...they just don't know it." And as a believer, it hasn't stopped either. God still pursues me moment by moment because He loves me. I need to remember that. I need to reminded that I am still a pursued and sought after woman of God. I need that from the God Who Sees Me.
Take a moment today and be the one from the 10 who came back to thank God for pursuing you.
