We close our reflection on Psalm 23 with today’s Holy Nougat
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalms 23:6 NIV
We call them moneybags, sugar daddies, buups/boops, and many other names; but have we ever counted the cost to these persons (usually men) for supporting their partners? The knowledge that s/he is in the relationship for the maternal gains. The threat to emotional and fiscal security. The sense that if the ‘gifts’ stop flowing, the partner is going. These are some painful realities that those wealthy lovers face.
Ironically, sometimes we treat our God in a similar way. We don’t wish to commit beyond the gifts we expect; often losing faith and interest when God’s goodness doesn’t match our expectations. And, in some cases, we try to tell friends and foes to follow suit. (Disagree – that’s good. For it means you trust implicitly, even when life happens).
The psalmist however; is counting the cost – being:
chosen, satisfied, safe, pampered and pandered, restored, protected, fed, cared for, branded, showered with gifts, forgiven, broken, restored, renewed … and s/he recognizes that this comes with living WITH God in God’s house.
Without skipping a beat, the psalmist says yes to all. For ever.
That’s hard for many of us to imagine in our throwaway culture. For truly, there’s no better sugar daddy, boops/buups, Mr moneybags etc than God. Whether we see God as Good Shepherd, Eternal Dwelling Place, Saviour or Friend – Psalm 23 suggests that God is the Real Deal! And with that the psalmist invites us – in this ode to the Good Shepherd – to recognize this and come live as the Shepherd’s sheep also.
What day you? Ready to live in God’s House forever?
