Part 4: Declaring to the World (23:6)
The
final section of this psalm is declarative. At first the psalmist, writing in
the form of a sheep, was speaking about the Shepherd. Then he was speaking to
the Shepherd. Now, I believe, the sheep is speaking to the world, declaring
both of this world’s blessing of following the Shepherd, and also in the next
world.
He no
longer is telling of whom he is following, but what is following him. He is no
longer speaking of the blessings of the here and now but what will be for the
rest of his days. He is declaring not only of his residence in green pastures
and beside the still waters. No, now he is looking for his eternal home, one
that will last forever and ever. His forever home is in the house of the Lord.
Where is
heaven? Can you point to it? Is it above us? If so, it is below those on the
opposite side of the world and will be below us in 12 hours! Can it be seen with
the Hubble telescope? No I cannot point to you where heaven is and I cannot
describe in great detail what it will look like. But when I read in Scripture
that it is a house of the Lord, and that the Lord is my Shepherd, I know one
thing: It is wherever the Lord is! And wherever the Lord is, that is where I want
to be.
But if
that is our eternal destination, what kind of trail are we leaving behind us?
The sheep is leaving a trail of goodness and mercy. Are you? Do you have an aftermath
of good works that will endure long after we have gone on to the house of the
Lord? When you leave this world, will your kind and merciful acts be a part of your
legacy?
The sheep is not so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good.
No! He is bringing God's kingdom to come HERE and His will to be done NOW on
earth, hopefully as close as possible as it is being done in heaven.
Is this your path? I so very much hope it is. Have you ever seen a trail of a jet stream in the sky? That trail is not determining its direction, it is proclaiming its direction! The "jet stream" of our lives should show where we are going. It is a stream of goodness and loving kindness following after us.
Dear God, let us live
with eternity on our hearts. Let us not waste our lives. Let us live as if
today was our last day to bring goodness and mercy to this earth, because one day
it will be. Amen.
