In Hot Pursuit of You

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”

—Psalm 23:6

“Can I keep this puppy?  He followed me home,” said kids onscreen to parents in days gone by.

Everywhere that Pigpen went in the classic “Peanuts” comic strips, there was a cloud of dust, dirt and debris.  It not only followed him, it engulfed him as he walked.

Our Psalm says the same things about God’s love and grace, only we’ve tamed the message.  Rather than just following along like a lost puppy, the “goodness and mercy” of the King James Version is much more aggressive and engulfing.

The image of Pigpen’s cloud that moves with him comes closer to the picture of how surrounded we are by “goodness and mercy.”

Perhaps the Common English Bible’s rendition is best: “Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.”  

John Wesley would smile and nod at that.

What evidence have you had already this week of God’s “goodness and faithful love” chasing after you?