I know I've been posting a lot of posts from other people lately. This one was so good that I started to cry. ;)
"God is so good. Just when I needed that check, I opened the mailbox and there it was."
"My fuel light was on, and just as I pulled into the gas station, my car died. God is good!"
"I was exhausted and just as I reached the grocery store, the best parking place became vacant! Isn't God good?"
God is good. But life is not always good.
Is God good when a child is hit by a drunk driver? Is God good when your husband is unfaithful? Is God good when your teenager is suicidal? Is God good when a God-fearing father is killed in a tornado? Is God good when people lose their homes and lives to fires and storms? Is God good when yesterday you felt fine, but today you're told that you have cancer?
Yes, He is good. Because His goodness is not dependent on our circumstances. He is good because His character is all-goodness. His Word tells us He is good and so we believe it is true. In Him there is no darkness.
Clouds of doubt overwhelm us in the darkest of trials. We weep, we grieve, we cry out that we don't understand. It has all been said and the feelings all felt, long before we existed (Psalm 88). In this world we will have tribulation. We are wise if we become students of the Word and prepare for our times of crisis before they come, not being content to be hand-fed by others. Because come, they will.
Is God in control of these terrible circumstances? Yes. He doesn't sleep. Nothing takes him by surprise. He is good not because he didn't allow it, but because He is our stronghold in the midst of it. He is our shelter and under His wings we have a place to hide when we are overwhelmed with sorrow. He is near to us when we cry ourselves to sleep. He keeps an account of the tears we cry. He sees us when we are soul weary and can only groan out an unintelligible prayer because the hurt is so deep.
"My fuel light was on, and just as I pulled into the gas station, my car died. God is good!"
"I was exhausted and just as I reached the grocery store, the best parking place became vacant! Isn't God good?"
God is good. But life is not always good.
Is God good when a child is hit by a drunk driver? Is God good when your husband is unfaithful? Is God good when your teenager is suicidal? Is God good when a God-fearing father is killed in a tornado? Is God good when people lose their homes and lives to fires and storms? Is God good when yesterday you felt fine, but today you're told that you have cancer?
Yes, He is good. Because His goodness is not dependent on our circumstances. He is good because His character is all-goodness. His Word tells us He is good and so we believe it is true. In Him there is no darkness.
Clouds of doubt overwhelm us in the darkest of trials. We weep, we grieve, we cry out that we don't understand. It has all been said and the feelings all felt, long before we existed (Psalm 88). In this world we will have tribulation. We are wise if we become students of the Word and prepare for our times of crisis before they come, not being content to be hand-fed by others. Because come, they will.
Is God in control of these terrible circumstances? Yes. He doesn't sleep. Nothing takes him by surprise. He is good not because he didn't allow it, but because He is our stronghold in the midst of it. He is our shelter and under His wings we have a place to hide when we are overwhelmed with sorrow. He is near to us when we cry ourselves to sleep. He keeps an account of the tears we cry. He sees us when we are soul weary and can only groan out an unintelligible prayer because the hurt is so deep.
We can't take comfort in stability of our lives because they can shift and change on a dime. We take comfort in His unchanging love and compassion. We remember that He has told us all things work together for good.
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Psalm 56:8
When George Muller's wife of 39 years died, he preached her funeral sermon using the text Psalm 119:68:
He also spoke these words:
“I bow, I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father, I seek by perfect submission to his holy will to glorify him, I kiss continually the hand that has afflicted me… Without an effort my inmost soul habitually joys in the joy of that loved departed one. Her happiness gives joy to me. My dear daughter and I would not have her back, were it possible to produce it by the turn of a hand. God himself has done it; we are satisfied with him.”
Lives on earth are but a vapor. And while we sojourn here, we do so through many dangers, toils and snares. Our hope is in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. He took the penalty for our sin, forgiving us even while we were still sinners. It pleased the Father to crush him for our sake. If we are in Him, God sees us now through the righteousness of Christ. New creatures bound for the Heavenly City. This truth is our only sure foundation.
You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Psalm 56:8
When George Muller's wife of 39 years died, he preached her funeral sermon using the text Psalm 119:68:
"You are good and do good; teach me your statutes."
He also spoke these words:
“I bow, I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father, I seek by perfect submission to his holy will to glorify him, I kiss continually the hand that has afflicted me… Without an effort my inmost soul habitually joys in the joy of that loved departed one. Her happiness gives joy to me. My dear daughter and I would not have her back, were it possible to produce it by the turn of a hand. God himself has done it; we are satisfied with him.”
Lives on earth are but a vapor. And while we sojourn here, we do so through many dangers, toils and snares. Our hope is in the finished work of our Lord Jesus. He took the penalty for our sin, forgiving us even while we were still sinners. It pleased the Father to crush him for our sake. If we are in Him, God sees us now through the righteousness of Christ. New creatures bound for the Heavenly City. This truth is our only sure foundation.
http://www.nurseryofthenation.com/
Thanks for sharing that, Caitlin! It was such an encouragement to me!
ReplyDeleteThis was really good! I'm gonna book mark this so I can come back and read it in hard times. God is good, all the time!
ReplyDelete