As you open the posting, first take some time and meditate on the verses that follow. Read them over slowly several times until something catches your attention. Then ponder on what got your attention before you read what I saw in the passage. Then come back to what you saw in the passage throughout your day.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 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.
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This is such a familiar passage, and yet I saw something that was new for me, and was clear in this translation. Verse 6 says “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life.” God’s goodness and love for me doesn’t just “follow” me, it pursues me. It reminds me of the old poem “The Hound Of Heaven,” which relates God’s relentless pursuit of me to the way a hound pursues its prey. The first pastor I worked with years ago knew that poem by heart.
God is the pursuer. He is not some passive God–He is active in his pursuit. I need to think on this as I pray for others. I pray, but God pursues!