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
I was reading the 23rd Psalm this morning. This one is so familiar it's easy to just breeze through it, but I've learned that when I read the more familiar passages it's a good idea for me to slow down and try to read it as if for the first time. Just let it soak in.
When I got to the final verse of this passage, my eyes rested on the word pursue. I immediately thought of what that word means to me. As a single woman, I want to be pursued--not like a game, but to know that the one pursuing really wants me.
That pursuit brings a sense of confidence and security with it. My pursuer, Jesus, really does want me.
In other Bible versions the word used instead of pursue is follow. I'm not sure that word carries the same weight in my mind. I rather like the idea of the Lord pursuing me.
The Hebrew word for follow/pursue is actually radaph. Some of the words used to describe the verb are: Chase, Pursue Ardently, to Run After, to Dog, to Follow Earnestly. I've linked the word to the lexicon if you'd like to read the definition more closely.
So Jesus chases after me ALL the days of my life with His goodness and unfailing love. Wow! Just wow!!
