Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25
Even When ____________, God is Good
There was a moment in my life when my perspective about the goodness of God shifted. It was a life changing moment for me when God delivered a simple, short message to me from one of my friends. I had just told her about my oldest son giving his life to Jesus after being out of church for 10 years. We were talking about it and she had to go so she started walking out of the office. In a very quiet and simple way she turned to look at me and said, “God’s been good to you.”and then turned and walked out of the office. That simple statement changed my life and view on everything that happened in the past, and everything that happened from that moment forward. I knew God was good to me – or at least I said I believed it – but I never really thought about all the ways He had been good to me until that moment. I often focused on the hard things I was going through instead of the countless ways God had been good to me all through my life.
It is so easy to get caught up in the circumstances of our lives and forget just how good God has been to us. Those details of goodness can get covered up quickly by trials and hardships. Sometimes we take His goodness for granted. We may not always think about never going hungry or always being able to pay the bills, even it it’s close, as His goodness in our lives. But they are!
Some of God’s goodness that we may overlook:
Friends who pray for and over you
Family
Provisions
Safety
Our church – the freedom to worship God
The really hard part of seeing God’s goodness is reconciling that He is good but sometimes horrible things happen. Sometimes it is hard for our human hearts to feel the magnitude of loss and tragedy in our lives – to our loved ones – and even the heaviness of the world in general. And some people feel those things more than others. God has made each and every one of us different and unique and if you have the “gift” of feeling the pain of others it can feel like a curse at times. The one thing we have to always remember, no matter what happens in our lives, is that God is consistently good. That means when tragedy strikes, God is good – but it doesn’t feel like it. When we bury a child, God is good– but it doesn’t feel like it. When we get the diagnosis we have feared, God is good – but it doesn’t feel like it. This may not be the way we feel, but it is the truth.
It even feels wrong to say some of those things but remember this:
When our world is blowing up around us…
When we feel like we cannot get out of bed or take one more step…
When we are so distraught and in such despair that even taking a breath feels impossible…
When we cannot possibly understand why a good God would allow such pain and suffering…
He is still good.
And also know this: He loves us, He cares about everything we are going through and He is with us. He is the only place we can find the comfort and peace we need in these times. He gives the strength to get out of bed, take another step, take another breath, and move forward.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Jesus told us we would have hard times in this world but He told us that He has already overcome those trials and tribulation. We won’t always understand it. We will feel angry about it sometimes. We may wonder if He is really good or if He really does love us when we feel so broken and alone. But we can look back and see His goodness in our lives and remember that He is never changing. He was good, He is good, and He always will be good in all things.
There have been many hard times in my life – I’m sure you have had many hard times as well. Some of you have had horrible tragedies and heartbreak. But I know that God is good, even when I cannot feel it. I know that He is good even when the world may tell me He is not. I know that He is good even if the things that happen to me or my loved ones are not good. I will always believe somewhere deep down in my heart, and I will always know in my mind that He is good. When I question this, I will remember that He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. He is a good all the time God who will give me what I need to fight the battles and He will never leave my side. And out of His goodness, He offers salvation to all who will believe and accept His gift of eternal life.
