Monday Morning Encouragement -- The Goodness of God

 

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

There is something that comes with age that I find extremely comforting. After walking with the Lord for over 50 years I have come to fully trust that He is a good God. I may not understand everything that He allows to happen in this world, but I do know that He is good, and that His love is steadfast. His love is constant and it will endure for all of eternity.

I also understand that it's mostly not all the good things that have happened in my life that have brought me to this place. No, it's the disappointments, the losses, and the failures that have shored up my faith in His goodness. He has dealt lovingly with me, even when I didn't deserve it. I only need to look at the cross of Jesus and see the indescribable sacrifice He made for me (for us!) to know that God is good. That He is loving. 

In our world today there is a great misunderstanding about God. Bad things happen and we blame Him. Good things happen and we forget Him. This is so wrong. Bad things happen because of sin. Everything God created in the beginning was good. It was man who sinned against God and opened the door to evil. But God in His goodness provided a remedy for sin: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. What greater love can there be than for our Heavenly Father to send His perfect, blameless Son as a sacrifice for our sin, to die in our place, so that in receiving Jesus and repenting of our sin we can have eternal life? (See John 3:16.) What's more, Romans 8:28 reminds us that "all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." God is able to turn the worst case scenario into something great. To exchange beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

All this being said, ultimately it's not our own experiences that verify God is good. It's His word that declares it, and that is enough. Period. We can never rely on our personal experiences to prove or disprove God's goodness. However, there is a calm assurance that comes from living life and experiencing in a personal way His goodness that I thank Him for, and for which I praise Him today.

Today's music video Goodness of God by Don Moen is a beautiful tribute to God's faithful goodness.

I want to take this time to thank you for your prayers for my co-worker, who has cancer. She will start chemo soon, and I will keep you posted. God bless you.

I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.