What Follows Close Behind?

Follow Your Shepherd, not your feelings.  I pulled up an older poem of Alan's that speaks to the importance of trust, and learning to not open the door of fear...surely His goodness and mercy shall follow, as we allow Him to lead us down His paths of righteousness, for His name sake. (Ps. 23)

What Follows Close Behind?

I was walking as the shadows grew, 

the light was fading fast

My thoughts were troubled as I 

mused reflecting on my past

To make it worse I thought I heard 

the sound of steps behind

I wasn’t sure someone was there 

but fear tempted my mind

So just in case I changed my gait

 spurred on by inner fear

But much to my alarm the sounds 

of steps behind grew near

This walk now far from pleasant 

more a nightmare had become

Not helped at all by memories 

of the trouble I’d come from

What would I use for my defense 

should there be an attack

The fear unknown much more had grown 

the threat behind my back

To quell the fear I made the choice 

to stop and stand my ground

With muscles tense I turned to pounce 

and this is what I found

No one was there, no sound of steps, 

I stood still all alone

The only sound now on my ear 

was my own desperate moan

I turned again a bit confused 

and started off once more

And wondered why when fear did knock 

I opened up the door

No sooner had the question formed 

the answer quickly came

The fear of man becomes a snare – 

my own heart was to blame

More conscious of what men might know 

and think or say of me

I fled when none pursued 

at all for I lost sight of Thee

A lesson from this parable 

I offer as a friend

There is a way to close the door 

and bring fear to an end

Don’t flee the past, don’t troubled be, 

don’t fret within your mind

The sound you hear is goodness all 

and mercy near behind

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