Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever. Psalm 23:6
I remember on one particular family vacation as a kid; we went to Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. There we could “look out” and see seven states. The placard in front of us said that from the peek we could view Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. There were no defined state lines like we see on a map, but it was an amazing thing to be able to look out over all seven of those states at the same time. On a clear day, it’s amazing how far you can see from high atop a mountain.
David certainly had some low spots throughout his life, but whenever he gained a higher perspective there were always two twin peeks he could see clearly, “Goodness and Mercy.” David knew that the LORD’s Goodness (Grace) and His Mercy (Love) had followed him and would continue to follow him all of his life. He saw it as a young shepherd boy out in the field, as the next king of Israel while on the run from Saul, and as the King who needed a second chance.
Our adversary doesn’t want us to gain the view from a higher perspective. He wants us to think that nothing good is ever going to happen in our lives and at best all we can hope to do is survive. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you pause for just a moment and look back over the last five years of your life, I’m sure you’ll be amazed. Whether you recall how your children prospered through school, how you received a promotion at work, or how you overcame an obstacle or challenge that you never thought you’d make it through, you can see how the Father’s “goodness and mercy” were with you all along. And if you can see where “goodness and mercy” have been following you, then know that they will keep right on following you.
Take a moment today and gain a higher perspective, thanking Him for all He has done and all He is going to do.