“I’ll be home for Christmas.” For many, this season brings thoughts of home to our minds—remembering the joys of the past or longing to feel at home in the present. Psalm 23 reminds us that these longings to feel at home will only truly be met when we find ourselves at home with God. Verse 6 describes a pilgrimage that ends at the House of the Lord. Along the journey goodness and mercy follows. The words “follow me,” as our English translations puts it, are a bit misleading. Derek Kidner points out in his commentary that the phrase most literally means “to carry.” Therefore, according to this psalm, the Lord, in his goodness and grace, is daily carrying him home.

Our daughter is 5 years old, and is as sweet as they come. Her favorite thing is to ride on my shoulders. One time we were walking to lunch and she really wanted me to carry her.  Honestly, I really didn’t want to. She asked me a couple times and I said, “no.” So then, she ran right in front of me, slammed on the breaks nearly causing a four person pile up, stuck her arms straight up in the air, and said, “Carry me!” So I did. The entire way to the restaurant.

In Psalm 23, the Lord carries us not to a restaurant, but to His house. The house of the Lord envisioned in Psalm 23 is picked up in the last book of the Bible.

The final book of the Bible explains that the house of the Lord is a new creation. That forever home will be more alive than anything we’ve ever experienced. Mountains will sing. Trees will clap their hands. The new creation will be like a Garden City where God will dwell with his people forever. For us who are trusting Jesus this is where goodness and mercy is carrying us.

Psalm 23 uses two metaphors to explain why we should always trust Jesus: Shepherd and Friend. As our friend, Jesus invites us to his table. At this table, Jesus is the one who secures victory, and invites us to celebrate. His is a table of grace. During Jesus’s life, we often find him at dining room tables eating and drinking. In every case Jesus’s dinner date is someone of questionable character. You see, at Jesus’s table we can bring our baggage, and he will bring the grace. Every time. We bring the sin, weakness, and enemies. He brings superabundant grace.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear now evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” According to this verse Jesus is the shepherd that leads his sheep through the valley of the shadow of death. Even through death he remains present with rod and staff. That is, he continues to protect and guide his sheep never forsaking them.

In Psalm 23, the writer, David, essentially states that the Lord is his most favorite shepherd and friend, and so David trusts the Lord wholeheartedly. David uses those two images to describe what the Lord is like, and why he trusts him so. As our Good Shepherd, Jesus leads us into restoration and down paths of righteousness.

We all want to become better versions of ourselves? But how can we do that? How can we grow? How can we improve? In Ephesians 3, Paul demonstrates that only through the gospel can we become who we long to be. Through the gospel, God empowers his people to become all he created them to be.