March 19 Podcast: Followed by God's goodness and mercy

The 4th Sunday of Lent, Year A

Scriptures: Psalm 23; John 9:1-41

Key Verse: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

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Hello, This is Jade.

Welcome to Yi.kigai

A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life

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Is being followed a good thing? It depends. Rather than being followed on social media or by strangers in person, how about being followed by God’s goodness and mercy all the days of our lives and dwelling in the presence of God forever as it says in Psalm 23:6? What is it like, being followed by God’s goodness and mercy?

There is a benediction that fills my heart, my mind, and my soul whenever I hear it. It gives me hope and reminds me of the assurance of God’s full presence in my life. It goes like this: May God go before you to lead the way, behind you to support you, beside you to befriend you, above you to watch over you, and within you to give you peace. As I said, it is a benediction, an invocation for God’s blessing, help, or guidance that is desired to be received or accepted well by grace through faith.

In which way do you sense or experience God’s presence in your life? If we choose to engage with God before every decision we make, God’s presence before us, behind us, beside us, above us, and within us certainly can be experienced. Nonetheless, when we prioritize our own belief or preference at the expense of others either intentionally or unintentionally, we exclude God’s being and doing entirely from our life.

The story of the blind man who received Jesus’ healing in John 9 is a great example. Not everyone could see God’s works revealed in their lives together. For Jesus’ disciples, sin is a precondition for seeing God’s works. For the Pharisees, obeying laws is a precondition for seeing God’s works. The lack of compassion and empathy for others blinded Jesus’ disciples and the Pharisees. They all acted like judges, judging who was a sinner and who broke the law.

After two thousand years, a belief of God’s works revealed through a prosperous life with good health or through practicing rigid faith is still very common. It's no wonder that the question of why bad things happen to good people is one of top topics for discussion.

We all could be blinded from seeing God’s goodness and mercy. God is good not because we are sinners. God is merciful not because we failed to obey the laws. Our behaviors don’t get to define our God but allow us to see God’s goodness and mercy. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind. And those who do not see wouldn’t have sin but those who see, their sin remains.”

Does Jesus’ words remind us of the story of Adam and Eve whose eyes were opened after consuming the forbidden fruit to be like God knowing good and evil in Genesis 3:5? Whenever being tempted to play a judge as if we were God, we surely will miss seeing God’s goodness and mercy. Let us focus on living a life that is followed by God’s goodness and mercy all the days of our lives and dwell in the presence of God from this day on.

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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace

As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life

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