The principal at the school my children
attend has a little responsive saying he uses with the students. He says, “God is good!” The children reply, “All the time!” Then he repeats, “All the time!” And the kids exclaim, “God is good!” It’s a good reminder and rally cry. It’s also a good filter to see life
through.
So often when times get hard, tragedies
happen, sickness strikes, or life just stinks we tend to look down and allow
ourselves to feel overwhelmed or hard done by.
The reminder, “God is good!” speaks hope into those times. Our psalm for today says it this way, “Great
is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!”
What would happen if our default position on
every experience was, “Great it the LORD!”? How
would our life be different if our first thought was, “Praise God for this!”?
I’m not saying this would be easy, but it is
possible – at least to a degree. I
remember visiting a man in the hospital.
He was dying and he knew it. His
sickness had been long, lingering, and debilitating. As I called on him I expected him to be
bitter with God and upset with his situation, but every time I visited him he’d
say, “God has been better to me than I ever was to Him.” He fully believed that even in the midst of
his suffering God was being good to him.
Someone might object, “That’s crazy! If God is so good, why do all these bad
things happen?” The psalmist’s response
to that is simply to fix our gaze on who God is and what He has done. From His holy mountain, “beautiful in
elevation,” He has thought upon us, blessed us, loved us, and given us
joy! He has faced our enemies and put
them to shame. This is true both
physically and spiritually. Our greatest
enemies, sin and death, were utterly defeated in Jesus’ death and
resurrection. In fact, Colossians says, “And
you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God
made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling
the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set
aside, nailing it to the cross. He
disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing
over them in [Jesus].” (Col 2:13-15 ESV)
Not only do God’s actions speak of His
goodness, but stop and think about why God does what He does. The psalmist says, “We have thought on your
steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.” Stop and muse, “How great is the love the
Father has lavished upon us?” It is so
great that we are called the children of God, and that, indeed, is what we
are!
The psalm proclaims, “Walk about Zion, go
around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her
citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God
forever and ever.” In other words, “Look
at what God has done for you! Look at
the blessings He has poured out on you!
He has even given His only begotten Son for you! What more proof do you need that God is great
and greatly to be praised? Share this
good news with your children, neighbors, enemies … anyone who will listen!”
God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Therefore, we are confident that He will
guide us forever – no matter where we are, what we are experiencing, or how our
life is going – for we are His.
Father, You are good. I don’t always
remember that. I get overwhelmed with so
many things. Help me to never forget
Your goodness and to be confident that You guide me. Fill my heart and mind with Your Spirit, that
I might remember and share what Jesus has done for me because You are so
good. Amen.
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