Trust and Triumph

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

Real religion is calculated and intended to inspire us with confidence and courage. Thus fitting us to face all we meet with in our journey, and to anticipate the glory to be conferred on us at the end.

As objects of the Divine love and care, 
as watched over and attended to by a special providence, 
as savingly interested in the grace of Christ, and the work wrought by Christ
— we may, we ought to be, confident and courageous!

Thus the Psalmist appears to be in the verse before us. He had sang of his interest in his God, of his experience of the kindness and care of his God, of his persuasion that his God would be with him even through the last dark valley — and now he closes his song in this sweet strain, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

See, His Confidence for Time. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. He had a Shepherd, in whose faithful care, and constant attention, he could ever trust — for he was persuaded that he would never leave or neglect him. He had a Host, on whose friendship and resources he could rely, and he felt sure that he would never change, nor allow his supplies to fail. He had two of the Divine perfections (goodness and mercy), like two guardian angels, engaged to attend upon him every step of his pilgrimage, and see his needs supplied. He therefore felt certain, that goodness would supply him out of its vast resources; and that mercy would sympathize with, and pardon him, through Christ's great atonement. He therefore enjoyed certainty — holy, heart-establishing certainty.

This certainty, as it arose from his interest in God, was strengthened and sustained . . .
by his knowledge of God's character,
by a careful review of his past history,
by his interest in the well ordered covenant of grace, and 
by his title to the great, gracious, and glorious promises which God has made.

O what a privilege to be followed by God's goodness and mercy; His goodness carrying the keys of God's store-houses — and His mercy possessing the most tender and sympathizing heart. Goodness and mercy follow the Christian closely, and constantly, through every step of his wilderness journey, acting as his body guard.

Notice, David's Expectation for Eternity. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Not in the sheepfold in the wilderness — nor in the guest-chamber in Jerusalem — but in the house of the Lord. The dwelling-place of God — the family residence of the Father of mercies, and his beloved children. In that house, we shall have . . .
all our desires gratified, 
all our prayers answered, and 
our highest expectations more than realized!

There we shall dwell in peace, united to all the saints, and enjoying the society of all the ransomed brethren!

There we shall dwell and worship — and our worship will be spiritual, pure, and perfect!

There we shall dwell and enjoy — and our enjoyments will be dignified, delightful, and eternal.

There we shall dwell and obey — and our obedience will be perfect, hearty, and perpetual.

There we shall dwell and rest from conflict — not from service, for we shall have rest from labor — not from activity; rest in worshiping him day and night in his temple.

There we shall rest, and our rest will be sweet, refreshing, and satisfying.

There will be no wilderness storms there.

There will be no cruel, crafty, malignant foes there. There will be no Canaanite, no Doeg the Edomite, no Judas the traitor, there.

All will be friends and brethren. All friendship will be unchangeable, and fellowship perpetual and pure. O glorious prospect! O sweet anticipation! In our Father's house are many mansions, all those mansions will be occupied, for . . . 
every one ever born of the Spirit,
every one for whom Jesus became a substitute and sacrifice,
every one beloved and chosen by the Father — will be there! All God's children shall be there — not one of them lost! All God's sheep shall be there — not one hoof left behind!

There the Eternal Father will be surrounded by, and enjoy the society of all his happy family. There the glorious Savior will see of the travail of his soul — and be fully and forever satisfied. There the Holy Spirit will fill all his temples, and enjoy his divine workmanship, and the presence of all who he has prepared for glory. There, Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit, at home with his people — will manifest forth his glory, and pour floods of light, love, and blessing upon them forever. Well then may the Psalmist say, In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures!

Let us then, beloved, as the sheep of the great Shepherd, as the guests of the King of kings — seek to live up to our privileges. Cleaving to the dust, clinging to this earth, or setting our affections on anything below — does not befit us. We should have our hearts, our thoughts, and our hopes in Heaven — from whence also we should be looking for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us also, trust in God. This is both our duty and our privilege. Our duty — for he commands us to trust in him; our privilege — for he promises to keep us in perfect peace, if our minds are stayed on him.

Let us often think of home. This vain world is not our rest. Here on earth, we have no continuing city. Home, the home of the believer's heart — is in the skies . . .
where Jesus is,
where Jesus reigns,
where love is perfect,
where there is always a full tide of joy,
where God displays all his glory,
where grace satisfies the utmost desires of every renewed soul.

Let us then rejoice, for We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands! We have a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God!

Shepherd of Israel — lead us, feed us, keep us, restore us, and fully bless us! Receive us, welcome us, and make a home for us even while below. Good and gracious God, help us to confide in you, courageously to press onward in our homeward path, assured that goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life; and that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Grace will complete what grace begins,
To save from sorrows and from sins;
The work that Wisdom undertakes,
Eternal Mercy ne'er forsakes!