“Your Goodness, Your Mercy” is prayer inspired by Psalm 23. Through every up-and-down, twist-and-turn, God’s goodness and mercy is right there chasing after us. Through it all, God is with us. And because He is with us, there is rest and joy, peace and life.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
All the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
Father,
You care for me and take care of me.
Teach me to not be in want.
To live in Your care.
To entrust myself to You.
Because with You, there is rest.
You restore my soul.
It’s not the green pastures that refresh me.
It’s not the quiet waters that rejuvenate me.
It’s You.
You who had the wisdom and compassion to lead me and lie me down there.
It’s You who guides me in paths of righteousness.
It’s You who is with me even when those paths lead through the valley of the shadow of death.
I will fear no evil.
For You are with me.
For You comfort me.
With You, blessings abound over me even in the presence of my enemies.
I am covered in Your favor, drenched in Your presence.
You fill my cup to overflowing with Your love.
I will drink deep and know You are good.
I will drink deep and know You are merciful.
I will drink deep and know You are loving.
I know I didn’t earn any of it.
I know You didn’t have to give any of it.
Yet You did…
And continue to…
And so I will rejoice!
Because even as I chase after You, You are chasing after me.
You chase after me with Your goodness and mercy and love.
I’ll never be able to outrun them, outrun You.
You relentlessly pursue me.
You are unwilling to forfeit me over to temporary desires and pleasures.
You are unwilling to allow me to settle for less than all Your goodness and mercy.
You are unwilling to allow me to abide and make my home anywhere except with You
Because with You, I am at home. My soul is refreshed and restored.
Forever, I will live with You, for You are always with me.
I will make Your house my home, for You have welcomed me in with a ring and a robe.
I will dwell with You in Your house for all the days of my life.
And for all the days of our lives
May we proclaim and affirm with David,
Surely goodness and mercy will chase me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Amen.
Take a moment today to read and meditate on Psalm 23. Reflect on how each up-and-down, twist-and-turn of the psalm is an expression of God’s goodness and mercy and is a result of the Shepherd’s with-ness with His sheep. Take time to ask God for a greater awareness and connection to His presence and for the knowledge that He is for you, that He is chasing you down with goodness and mercy all the days of your life.
And if you have a chance take a listen to Phil Wickham’s Psalm 23 song. It’s one of our favs.
Author:
Hi, I’m Keagan! Some of my friends call me “Keags” though! My wife, Charity, is the C to my K. I am loved by Jesus and am in love with Jesus! I am passionate about others fully knowing and loving Jesus and living life in His unforced rhythms of grace. Read more of my writing here.
Thank you for allowing us to serve and encourage you today. If “Your Goodness, Your Mercy: A Prayer” was encouraging or insightful for you in any way, please let us know and consider sharing “Your Goodness, Your Mercy: A Prayer” with someone else.