READ: PSALM 23; ISAIAH 49:16; 2 TIMOTHY 3:16

As far as I can remember, the first Bible verse I learned was Psalm 23:6, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” I was probably about ten years old. At that time, my parents were not Christian, so we didn’t have any Bibles at home.

So where did I learn the verse Psalm 23:6? It was from an obituary!

I grew up in Singapore, and obituaries in newspapers could cover the entire page, and they usually included a Bible verse if the deceased person was a Christian. Psalm 23:6 hits a chord in me. It is a beautiful promise and assurance from God!

I was young at that time and thought the word Psalm was printed wrongly and was supposed to be Palm. I also thought the number 23:6 was probably a house number. I still find it funny when I think about it now. Later in my life, my parents and I became Christians. I found out that the word psalm is, in fact, spelled correctly. But still, I hoped it had something to do with “palm.” When I first read Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,” I was delighted to see the word palm. But more importantly, I got to know that God loves me very much!

Since first reading Psalm 23:6, I’ve observed that Psalm 23 is often used in funerals. When my grandma passed away, the pastor preached on this passage, reminding us that God is with us during our bad times, good times, and even boring times. For someone like Grandma, who stayed at home most of the time, life can be boring. It reminds me of the pandemic time when we were stuck at home. It was a challenging time. But Psalm 23 encourages us to trust in Jesus as He is our shepherd (John 10:11). He died and rose again so we could always be with Him, and He speaks to us through His Word, revealing how much He loves us. • Kelly Choy

• Do you remember the first Bible verse you ever learned? Do you have a favorite Bible verse?

• Although Psalm 23:6 isn’t referring to a house number, we can have the assurance of living in God’s house forever by putting our trust in Jesus! Find out more about this good news on our “Know Jesus” page.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 (NIV)