Psalm 23:6 Surely Goodness and Mercy

One of the great hymns of the faith is “Surely Goodness and Mercy.” In its verses, this hymn summarizes what is taught in Psalm 23. The chorus, of which I’m sure you are familiar, simply quotes verse 6.

Please read Psalm 23, then sing along with this hymn (at least verse 1):

A pilgrim was I, and a wandring—In the cold night of sin I did roam

When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me—And now I am on my way home.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life;

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days, all the days of my life.

If you want to keep singing, then you’ll have to look up the other verse in your hymnal or online, but please wait to do so until after you’ve finished reading the rest of this devotional.

Of all the words that David could have used to describe the blessings of God, he chose “goodness and mercy.” In our brief study of this Psalm, we have talked about our Shepherd providing for us, restoring our souls, leading us, comforting us, securing us, anointing us, and overflowing us with blessings. David sums all this up as “goodness and mercy.” Goodness supplies all of our needs, and mercy saves us from our sin. What wondrous blessings our Shepherd has lavished upon us!

Yet, the focus of this final verse is not on the blessings of goodness and mercy, but on their temporal extent—they will last forever! God’s goodness and mercy will follow me “all the days of my life.” This means that God is good and merciful when the days are bright and sunny, and when the days are dark and grey. God lavishes me with goodness and mercy in the days of feasting and in the days of fasting. God shows me goodness and mercy when I am in the prime of life, and when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!

But God’s goodness and mercy are not limited to this life only! They will be shown to me “forever!” When I pass from this life to the next, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord.” I will not be condemned to destruction. I will not be made to pay for my sins. I will not be isolated from my Lord. I will dwell in His house forever!

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my eternal life!