Knowing God: God Is Merciful

Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

There is something incredibly comforting about knowing that mercy is not something God gives out sparingly. According to Psalm 23, mercy does not just visit us occasionally. It follows us. All the days of our lives. Not just the good ones when we pray before breakfast and remember where we left our keys. Even the days when we are tired, distracted, overwhelmed, or wondering how we got into the latest mess we are in.

I sometimes imagine mercy walking right behind me with a gentle smile, quietly sweeping up the trail of crumbs, sighs, and half-finished to-do lists I leave behind. It is reassuring to know that God is not chasing me with judgment but with mercy.

Psalm 23 also says, "He restores my soul." Restoration sounds peaceful, but sometimes it looks more like God pulling a sheep out of a thorn bush it wandered into. I have had seasons where I was definitely that sheep, and the fact that God restores us anyway is mercy.

But the deepest proof of God’s mercy is not found in our small daily moments. It is found at the cross. When Jesus laid down His life, He took every failure, every wandering path, every wrong turn, and every sin upon Himself. The cross is the ultimate reminder that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, He poured His mercy out through His Son. Titus 3 says that God saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. Every step of Psalm 23 is possible because of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.

So whether you feel like you are lying in green pastures or limping through the valley today, remember you are held by a merciful God. His mercy greets you in the morning before you have had your coffee, walks with you through every decision and emotion, and waits for you again at night when the day is over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. What a relief that it is mercy doing the following and not my own performance. What a gift that the Shepherd who restores us is also the Savior who redeemed us.

May we rest in that truth, knowing that God's mercy is not just something He shows. It is who He is, and it is ours because of Jesus. In love.