See His Goodness, Awareness of His Mercy

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

Like many people, I asked the Lord for a theme to look for throughout the New Year. Our church has chosen “the year of New Beginnings”. When I hear something I agree with in my spirit, I make a verbal acknowledgement to receive. I like new beginnings and could use some in my life.

The phrase I felt the Lord was showing me is not as pithy, but it keeps coming back to the forefront of my thoughts.  “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”. I want to “see” His goodness and “be aware” of His mercy. Let’s unpack those two.

Good is the Hebrew word towb. Its the same word used in creation when God created the world and declared it was good, meaning perfect and in harmony. The root is used as and adjective, noun and verb throughout the OT. Let’s show some of Strongs Lexicon’s definition

Pronunciation: tove

Phonetic Spelling: (tobe)

Definition: Good, pleasant, agreeable, beneficial, beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, fair, favor, fine, glad, goodly, graciously, joyful, kindly, loving, merry, pleasant, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, well-favored

What would my life – your life – look like if these above words were used as adjectives describing us? I receive His goodness.

Follow – Understand that it is this same goodness that David expected to be following him. The word following literally means “ pursuing to over take”. Look over that list of words and think about areas of your life where His goodness is found.  Think of relationships that are meaningful, access to God’s word, your church family, creation itself…Pam and I love to watch the beautiful colors of sunsets on display for all to see.

God’s goodness is present…we need to take off our troubled, worried lenses of life to “see” His goodness which is all around us, every day.

Mercy is rooted in the Hebrew chesed which is many times translated lovingkindness. It is directly related to covenant, specifically God’s covenant toward us. David knew that goodness could only be consistent in his life, because of God’s unwavering commitment toward him. God is faithful…always faithful…abounding in faithfulness toward David. Notice again the word “follows” after “mercy”. 

Become “aware of His Mercy”. When we feel entitled, we lose sight of mercy. When we have been offended, we lose sight of mercy. When our view of justice seems unfair, we lose sight of mercy. When we are troubled, anxious and worried, mercy feels undeserved but we cry out for it. When you have screwed up again, mercy still fits ya.

May God give you the right dosage of humility to wear mercy every day. The mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Speak of His mercy, listen for His mercy, underline His mercy in His word, and extend His mercy to others. May God create an awareness of His mercy which will permeate every sphere of your life.

My theme for this year….see His goodness and become aware of His mercy.

What are you expecting for 2025?

Blessings, Love y’all