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A mother was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school, but he didn’t want his mother to walk with him.  Wanting to give him the feeling that he had some independence, but yet know that he was safe, she had an idea of how to handle it.  She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he wouldn’t notice her.  She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind the boy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. They did this for the whole week.

As the two kids walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, the boy’s little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week.  Finally, she said to the boy, “Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week?  Do you know her?”

He nonchalantly replied, “Yeah, I know who she is.”

The little girl said, “Well, who is she?”

“That’s just Shirley Goodnest”, he replied, “And her daughter Marcy.”

“Shirley Goodnest??  Who is she and why is she following us?”

“Well”, the boy explained, “every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, ‘cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, ‘Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life’.…so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it!”

As cute and humorous as this little story is, I hope it can serve us for more than a chuckle.  God will not have Shirley and her daughter Marcy following after you, but if he is truly your Shepherd, it is sure that goodness and mercy will follow after you “all the days of [your] life” (v.6).  And you will have a better destination than school…the “house of the LORD forever” (v.6). 

Along the way you have no need of want (v.1), you will be cared for (v.2), your soul will be restored and you will be led in right paths (v.3), you need not fear any evil and will be comforted in times of deepest darkness (v.4), you will be honored by the Shepherd-King and share of his lavish abundance at his table (v.5). 

Jesus is the Shepherd-King (John 10:1-18).  You belong to him by hearing his voice and following him.  Jesus is also the Sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29; Revelation 5).  You belong to him by being washed in his blood.  Only by grace as a true believer of the gospel of Jesus Christ, will the truths of this psalm be applicable to you.  And only by grace will they be applicable to you as you are a faithful sheep to the Faithful Shepherd.

May this most familiar psalm be a new mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23) to you this day.