FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." - Psalm 23:6

The Christian life is a journey leading from here to heaven.  The road we must travel is sometimes difficult.  It seems like the closer we get to glory, the more difficult the road becomes.

Years ago, I had to go to Atlanta on a business trip.  On the way back, I traveled some great super highways.  The roads were fairly straight and easy to navigate.  I could travel at a high speed on these highways.  The closer I got to home, the worse the roads were.  The super highways eventually were reduced to a two-lane road.  The two-lane road eventually became a dirt road.  I didn't mind the change in road conditions, though.  The dirt road was the road that led me home.

The same is true in life.  The closer we get home, the worse the road seems to be.  Despite the road conditions, the goodness of the Lord remains the same.

David wraps up the twenty-third psalm by describing the rest of the journey.  From here to eternity, God is leading and blessing.  David wrote, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Consider two things that David addresses in this verse:

1.  THE HERE-AND-NOW

First of all, David wrote, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life..."  Notice that David did not say, "Surely good health and earthly riches shall follow me all the days of my life."  That would be the message that some would like to hear, but it isn't true.  Instead, David focused on two things:  the goodness of God and the mercy of God.  God's goodness and mercy will follow me the rest of my life.  I must confess that God has been good to me --- and I don't deserve it!  God is good ... and He is good to His people.  Remember that He is the GOOD Shepherd.  Secondly, His mercy is extended to me each step of the way.  The Good Shepherd mercifully tends His flock and leads them along the way.  David wrote that goodness and mercy will follow him, "... all the days of my life."  Goodness and mercy follows him, but not just on happy days, but ALL the days of his life.  The same is true for you and me.

2.  THE HEREAFTER

Finally, David wrote, "... and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."  Our journey will soon come to an end.  We'll get home before long.  The Lord has a house and it will be our home.  David wrote that he would, "dwell in the house of the LORD."  It will be more than just a short visit.  Like David, we will dwell there.  We will stay there.  It is our home.  Finally, he specifies the duration of our stay: "forever."  We'll be at home with our Lord forever.   

From here to eternity, we are His.  From here to eternity, God is leading us.  Ultimately, we'll be at home with Him eternally.

Now that's a true story with a happy ending!