It's a sure thing

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

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) Our devotion to God may falter, but His devotion to us never does: 'If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful...' (2 Timothy 2:13) 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!

A promise from God..that His goodness and mercy shall follow me for the rest of my life..

The struggles I am going through, God, in his goodness, will provide. Though His guidance, I will overcome. Instead of just focusing on the struggles that I am going through, look back, and remember the blessings God has done for me in the past. Blessings that I don't deserve. Look back and remember of God's faithfulness and goodness to me. It has been a long time since I looked back and thank God for everything he has done for me, for everything and all the obstacles he has brought me through. Thank Him and trust that He will once again provide. That's what I need.

Psalm 23:1

'The Lord is my shepherd...' Psalm 23:1

Abraham Lincoln wrote, 'I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. 'All of us feel that way at times. That's because we are all sheep in need of a shepherd. Of all God's creatures, sheep seem the least able to care for themselves. They're directionless: they'll walk off a cliff or wander into a river and drown. They're defenceless : they've no claws so they can't fight, run fast or climb a tree to safety. They're dirty: your cat and dog can clean themselves, but sheep get dirty and stay that way. You say, 'I don't like being compared to sheep. 'All right, then answer these questions. How well do you control your impulses? Do you ever play the vitim? Can you relate to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Are you always upbeat and upright? Do you add to the conflict and confusion, or do you always make peace? Do you truly love your people, or do you just use them for your own ends? Are you generous, or do you mostly give to those who have something to give back to you? On a scale of one to ten, how do you score when it comes to the fear of people, or failure, or sickness, or death, or rejection or risk? Is your life an open book? How often do your fail and need forgiveness weekly? daily? hourly? It sounds like you need a shepherd! So instead of saying, 'The Lord is my shepherd,' try saying, 'Because I need a shepherd, I make You Lord of my life.'

The Lord is my shepherd. I make You Lord of my life.

How many times have I let You down.

I feel that ever since I started working, I have drifted far away from the Lord. I am depending on my own strength instead of seeking Him.

How many times I have cried at work. Twice in a week....in front of my seniors....once because I was sooo frustrated at work. Another time was because I felt so incompetent and so lacked of senior support as I was working alone...and my senior gave me wrong advice which could potentially have cost a patient's life, I felt so so guilty that I cried so hard which in fact it wasn't entirely my fault that everything happened.

There are times when I just feel so directionless at work. I need a shepherd to guide me in making the right decisions. Even my seniors make wrong decisions. I need wisdom. I do feel everything about me, is insufficient.

We all need a shepherd. I need one too.