doctor's life support

9th November: My Shepherd (11)

Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6

Goodness and mercy (the heavenly sheepdogs!) are there faithfully to pursue me. If I fall they come to my rescue. If I stray they bring me back on course. In another psalm David asks, `Whither shall I flee from thy presence?' (Ps 139:7). The answer is that I can never flee him; neither would I want to elude these heavenly hounds. It may sometimes seem that life has fallen about my ears in pieces, with dreams shattered and sorrow, failure or emptiness all that lies ahead. I can no longer see the track, or if I can, it looks far too lonely and forbidding to follow further. Then the goodness and loving-kindness of God have a way of making themselves known to me in some small way that I could easily have missed, perhaps in a letter or 'phone call. As gently as a dog may lick one's fingers as we walk along, so lightly may such reassurances first come. He is good, he does show mercy. As time goes on, all that I thought as lost may come back repaired and restored, or replaced by something more honouring to him. I may need to hold on for may more `days' before I can see that he is changing apparent tragedy into an invaluable instrument for future service. Eventually I shall even thank him for the experiences which, at the time, I only wanted to throw back into his face.

The words goodness and mercy also contain echoes of Lord and Shepherd, rod and staff, righteousness and comfort.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto man,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

Annie Johnson Flint

Further reading: Ps 103.

JG