Chased By God – Psalm 23:6

Crosspoint – Jim Black – April 12, 2026

Psalm 23:6
“Surely goodness and love shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

In this brief synthesis of the Shepherd’s Psalm, we learn that goodness and loving-kindness will follow us forever. We can trust ourselves into the hands of the good Shepherd as we rest in this promise.

This has been quite the week in our household, as I think it has in many of your lives.

My wife, Lisa, has been dealing with cancer for a long time. She first heard the “C” word from a doctor in 2008, and then in 2011, she had her first round of Chemotherapy. The cancer has changed a couple of times. Cancer is tricky like that. The last time it changed was in 2021, and Lisa spent ten days in the hospital. The doctors have had to work hard to figure out how to treat the specific type of cancer that has been troubling her, but through these trials, we have seen the goodness and loving kindness of God. He didn’t rescue us from trials; He has been pursuing us through them every day. Just last week, after 18 years of this battle, we finally heard the “R” word (remission). She is no longer taking any cancer medications.

We say, “Yay, God! We are so thankful!

On Wednesday, we learned that our dear friend, Pastor Lee, had gone home to be with the Lord. It is always a mix of emotions when we hear about the homegoing of a dear brother or sister in Christ. We have grown so comfortable with having them around. Their smile and warm handshake or embrace feel like the comfort of sunshine after several cold and cloudy days. We want to be together forever, and then one day, long before we were ready, they were gone, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we were left behind. That dear friend is at home in the presence of the Lord, and we are left amid what Elisha must have felt when his friend and mentor, Elijah, went up in a whirlwind. We weren’t ready. We are sad. But then we realize that our loved one is ok because he is with Jesus now. Yet our hearts still hurt.

Then we recall that there was a wedding this week. Dave and Gretchen’s daughter, Deb married her sweetheart, and Dave had the wonderful privilege of officiating the ceremony. I know full well the joy of witnessing your kid’s wedding. What fun! What a blessing to see them joined to the one they have chosen, the one they love. Dave and Gretchen must be floating on cloud nine!

All of this in just one week!

And we haven’t even talked about international news – of lives lost, wars and rumors of wars, families in several countries who have been affected by the events of just this past week.

In light of all these things, we can lean hard into the concluding words of the 23rd Psalm. In this Psalm of the Shepherd, we hear God talking to us like his little sheep whom he
loves and cares for. David is the author. David knew a lot about taking care of sheep. He spent many lonely days and nights alone with only his father’s sheep. In this Psalm of the Shepherd, we learn that though the Shepherd leads us, there is something following us.

According to David, we are being followed or pursued by something. Let’s take a careful, close look at the final verse of the Shepherd’s Psalm to understand what is following or pursuing us.

1. “Surely” — Faith That Speaks With Confidence

David begins with one word that sets the tone: “Surely.”
Not hopefully.
Not if things work out.
Not if life gets easier.
Not when life settles down.
Think of Jesus saying, “Truly, truly…” This is something certain, something you can count on.
‘Surely.’

That word doesn’t come from a perfect or easy life. It comes from a life that has been tested. David had been:
 Betrayed by friends
 Chased by enemies
 Guilty of major failure
 Acquainted with loss

And still, after all of that, he says, “Surely.”

This is what mature faith sounds like.

Faith that doesn’t deny pain—but refuses to let pain have the final word.

Listen to the confidence, the calm of that one word, ‘Surely’. This is something you can count on, something you can set the rhythm of life on, something that is as predictable as the sunrise.

2. “Goodness and Love” — What’s Pursuing You

Here’s the part we often miss:

David says goodness and love don’t just visit him.

They follow him.

That word “follow” literally means to pursue, to chase down.

Picture this: You’re not chasing God’s blessings. God’s grace means that He is chasing you with His …

 Goodness meets your needs—often quietly. Our God is a good Shepherd who constantly shows His goodness to us, His sheep. You might be asking yourself, “If the goodness of God is pursuing me, then why am I experiencing difficulties? Why are there so many trials and temptations all around me? Where is the evidence of God’s goodness?” When we came to trust Jesus Christ to be our Savior, he did not promise us an easy life. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).” The life Jesus led on this earth was certainly not without trouble. People were even trying to kill him, and eventually they did kill him. Yet Jesus knew the calming presence of his Father. He walked in the goodness of God amidst troubles and trials.

 Love covers your mess—again and again. Loving kindness is what keeps God from giving us what we deserve. Even though we might have made a mess of things, love is standing at the door of your heart, and gently knocking, saying, Let me in, I can help. This is the Hebrew word for covenant-based love. It is the word “Hesed”. You must swallow before you say that word. It comes from deep inside your throat.

Goodness is what prompts our Good Shepherd to bless us.

Even when we didn’t notice it… Even when we didn’t feel it… Even when we didn’t deserve it…

Goodness and loving kindness were still right behind you, following you and pursuing you through your loneliness, your confusion, your pain.

You might argue that your failures have ripped you away from God’s covenant love, but I am here to tell you that is just not true. This is what the Bible says,

(Romans 8:38,39)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake, we face death all day long;

We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, can rip you away from God’s goodness and loving kindness.

Whatever you are going through right now, know that our good Shepherd has got you. The goodness and lovingkindness of God are going to lead Him to leave the 99 sheep to come and rescue you. The good Shepherd knows you. He knows what you’re going through, and He is already showing you His goodness and loving kindness. You might not see it or feel it, but it is there. He is there.

3. “All the Days of My Life” — Not Just the Highlight Reel Days

David doesn’t say “the good days.” He doesn’t say “the winning seasons.” Or the days when I felt on top of my game. He says all the days.

That includes:
 The depressing days when it feels like there is a dark cloud overhead that won’t
go away

 The confusing days
 The days when prayers feel unanswered
 The days when faith feels fragile

God doesn’t clock out just because life isn’t going well. Let’s be honest—some of us are living through chapters of our lives we never would’ve chosen.

But Psalm 23:6 reminds us: God does some of His best work in days we wish we could skip.

Even on those days when we feel sad, even on those days when we feel that the world is falling apart around us, in those days, in those moments, in those weeks or months, that is the time when the Good Shepherd is pursuing us with His goodness and lovingkindness. So, stop looking back at your failures! Stop dwelling on times when you have disappointed yourself or others. Lift up your head and say with the psalmist, “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121: 1,2).” God has plenty of goodness and loving kindness for you today and tomorrow. He is not going to run short of either of these any time soon. There will be a rich supply of both goodness and loving kindness all the days of your life.

4. “I Will Dwell in the House of the LORD” — Belonging, Not Just Belief

This isn’t religious language—it’s relational language. Here, David switches from the language of sheep and pasture to home and family.

To dwell means to stay, to live, to belong.

David isn’t talking about just a building. He’s talking about identity.

“I don’t just visit God when I’m desperate. I live with Him. I belong to Him.”

And then he says, “forever.” If you are one of my kids or grandkids, I will not only let you visit me in my house, I will let you stay there because we are family, you can stay as
long as you want to.

This is where our hope locks in:
 Life is not random
 Pain is not pointless
 Death is not the end

The Shepherd who walks with you now will not abandon you later.

Conclusion: Walk Forward—You’re Not Alone
If goodness and mercy are following you, then you don’t have to:
 Run yourself into exhaustion
 Be paralyzed by fear
 Live stuck in shame

Periodically look over your shoulder to see that it is goodness and loving kindness that are following you You can walk forward. You can breathe. You can trust. Because even when life feels uncertain, this promise is :

“Surely your goodness and loving kindness will follow me…

all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”