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. - Psalm 23:6

These days, houses aren’t built to last forever,” complained a home- owner friend as he looked at some poor workmanship.

“I know of one that is,” I ventured timidly.

“Really? Who is the builder?” my neighbor replied, looking interested.

“God,” I whispered.

“Who?” he asked, shooting me the strangest of looks.

I was able to share, somewhat clumsily I’m afraid, that those who follow the shepherd have been promised a dwelling in heaven, “a home in heaven . . . made for us by God himself and not by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1). What’s more, the shepherd has told us it is to be a forever fold, having a firm foundation whose builder and Maker is God!

By this time, my friend had forgotten his repair job, obviously thinking it was I that was falling apart! I grinned at him and changed the subject. Much later I heard his wife had died. I knew she followed the shepherd. Can you imagine my joy when the soloist chose to sing Psalm 23? Psalm 23 is used so often to bring comfort to the bereaved, people forget that it is a psalm primarily for the living! It speaks of a relationship with the great shepherd.

When the time comes to follow him into the heavenly fold, the journey will be made that much easier for those who are used to following him. What more could a loved lamb need?

For Further Study: Psalm 23:1-6

Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.

SPECIAL OFFER