The Pursuit of God
In the final verses of Psalm 23, the psalmist’s assurance of a future spent with God comes to life as he declares his present trust in the shepherd. In the final part of this three-part series, Jules Badger reflects on God’s loving pursuit of us that endures all the way into eternity.
The title of this article is a play on words. ‘To pursue or be pursued?’ In these final verses of Psalm 23 the psalmist knows full well who began the pursuit and who sustains it.
In verse six in the New Living Translation (NLT) it says,
‘Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.’
In his little book Safe in the Shepherd’s Arms, Max Lucado writes of verse six, ‘This must be one of the sweetest phrases ever penned. Lived experience of the shepherd’s care, protection and love assures the psalmist that he can trust the shepherd today, tomorrow and always. “Surely” in this context is not hope without substance, but a testimony!’
As I’ve spent time studying, reflecting and meditating on the beauty, truth and promises of Psalm 23, I’ve come to understand that God’s love for me has never failed and to this day his pursuit of me has never faltered—even in all my wanderings and sin. Even my most earnest pursuit of God cannot compare with God’s relentless pursuit of me. And of you.
Translations like the New International Version (NIV) and the New King James Version (NKJV) opt for ‘follow’ instead of ‘pursue’, but Emily Freeman, spiritual director, author and podcaster writes:
‘The psalmist, acknowledging death’s valley, wrote that goodness and mercy would follow him all the days of his life. This does not imply a trailing behind kind of follow, like a toddler or a puppy. No, this following is a pursuit, a chase, a running after with the intent to catch up. Surely goodness and mercy shall run after me all the days of my life.’
Emily’s choice of phrase is powerful in both its simplicity and implication. Eugene Peterson, author of The Message (TM) interpretation of the Bible, selects a phrase that adds an even greater sense of urgency.
‘Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.’
I recently met a man who had travelled from further up the North Island down to Wellington to search for his teenage granddaughter, who was caught up in drugs and had run away from home. He was not a young man, but he was determined to find his beloved mokopuna (grandchild)—to chase her down and bring her home. Eventually he caught a glimpse of her profile across the street. She was alive! And her surprise at seeing him paled in comparison to his relief and delight in locating her. Like the shepherd of Psalm 23, motivated by unfailing love, he’d been relentless in his pursuit of her. That’s how God loves us! He pursues us all the days of our lives.
Max Lucado writes, ‘What a surprising way to describe a God who remains in one place. A God who sits enthroned in the heavens and rules and ordains. The psalmist, however, envisions a mobile and active God. Dare we envision a God who follows us, who pursues us, who chases us, who tracks us down and wins us over? Who follows us with “goodness and mercy” all the days of our lives?’
As I look back on my life I am able, like the psalmist, to thank God for his provision, for showing me how to rest, for leading me along the right path, for being with me through the valley of the shadow of death, for comforting and protecting me through trial and suffering, and for placing his favour on me and filling my life with abundant blessing. And because of God’s goodness and love in action in my life, I know that God will do what he says he will do because he’s proven himself faithful time and again.
‘Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.’
While Psalm 23 is perhaps the most well-known in Scripture, Emily says, ‘I think it’s safe to say that while many people know it by memory, they may not know it by heart’.
To know Psalm 23 by heart is to know the shepherd. Yes, it is a psalm that provides us comfort because it reminds us of everything God has done and who he is, but, even more so, it reveals to us the kind of new life Jesus is inviting us into. The psalmist can declare, ‘I will live in the house of the Lord forever’ not because the psalmist knows the shepherd, but because the psalmist understands he is known by the shepherd. The psalmist has been in God’s presence.
The Amplified Bible (AMP) says,
‘Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.’
It’s the presence of the God of Psalm 23 in our lives that changes everything.
‘God gives us himself,’ says Max. ‘Even when we choose our hovel over his house and our trash over his grace, still he follows. Never forcing us. Never leaving us. Patiently persistent. Faithfully present. Using all of his power to convince us that he is who he says he is, and that he can be trusted to lead us home.’
I think this last verse of the psalm just might be my favourite. Why? It invites me to entrust my future into God’s hands, and in light of everything God has done for me and who I now know him to be, how could I not?
