Psalm 23: verse 6
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.Goodness and mercy are another way of expressing that grace from God is given to Christian saints as they walk through this worldly life. Times may be difficult, with much pain and suffering, but Christians have an inexhaustible reservoir of grace to sustain them through their pilgrimage in this world. Hebrews 4:16 instructs Christians to go boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace in times of need. This grace may not make the suffering cease, but it will bring peace and sustain the souls of the redeemed as they journey to the heavenly City of God. People whose focus and goal in life is to have temporal health, wealth, and perpetual joy and happiness will be disappointed 100% of the time. However, if the LORD is your Sheppard, you will face all the adversity that this world has to offer without fear and you will be 100% satisfied.
Praise God that an eternity to dwell in the house of the LORD dwarfs any temporal pain and suffering from this fallen world. Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
9 comments:
The Apostle Paul calls his afflictions, "light".
What's that make our afflictions?
Nice post.
King David really knew what mercy was all about.
Wayne,
My late wife suffered with brain tumors, surgeries, and cancer for 18 years. I remember the time a "friend" visited her and suggested that her struggles were the result of unconfessed sin in her life. She responded very graciously while I didn't respond as graciously. She always considered her trials to be a special gift from God that allowed her to see God's goodness and mercy much clearer than most of us. And she was right!
Dave
Hi Dave!
Did you see the post, On Suffering, at BC? (yeah, yeah, it's my post)
Thanks for this, Wayne, b/c it goes right along with the 'suffering' theme.
"She responded very graciously"
Marvelous. And what a way to glorify her Lord.
What a wonderful servant of Christ she must have been.
Thanks for sharing that. Lord bless you.
Justin says...
Hey Wayne, do you know what happened to Doug's blog?
Don, Dave, and Gayla,
Thanks for adding to this post. Dave that was quite a testimony your wife gave. Gayla, I was aware of your post and it prompted me to write this one this way.
Justin,
I think Doug needed to spend more time with his sons and family and decided to eject his blog without a parachute. He will still be writing over at Bluecollar Blog team blog.
Gayla,
Yes, I did see your post at Bluecollar. It was brilliant and I was thinking about your dear husband while I was writing the comment. It grieves my heart so much when people who suffer here on earth are dismissed as lacking in faith or as having some unconfessed sin in their lives. The health and wealth people...where did they come from and what Bible do they read anyway? I still don't respond as graciously as she did!
Dave
Dave, I'm like you. I know I don't respond as graciously as Roger. I'm wondering if those who are afflicted aren't given an extra, extra measure of grace! They are such extaordinary souls,IMO, to live thru what they do. And their testimonies - well their testimonies are remarkable as well.
Roger, as well as your late wife, will never know how they touched the lives of those around them in very profound ways.
Gayla, et. al.
You are right about not knowing fully how they touched other people. But...
Last night I got a phone call from a lady who was in my last church, where I was for 16 years. I was very close to them. She called to tell me that her husband is in his last days, suffering from inoperable cancer. Several months ago, when they decided to stop trying to extend his life, he told his wife that he intended to "do this and finsh well like Roz (my late wife) did." He has done well, sharing his love for Jesus with everyone who has come to visit him. I was rather teary-eyed!
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