“I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I
would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord.
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the
Lord!” Psalm 27:14 (NKJ).
If I didn’t believe in God’s goodness in all things…
well, my hope would run dry and I would give up on God, life and humanity.
Countless times I’ve almost lost heart and wanted to give
up. Countless times I’ve drawn strength from this promise. Every time, His
promise was fulfilled and my heart was strengthened.
I've been guilty of mistaking God’s goodness to mean material
goodness. Nice things, stuff, wants fulfilled, that perfect man to complete me.
While God gives us those good things when it’s His best
for us, I believe “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” means
things NOT of this world. Things this world can never provide.
The times I’ve almost lost heart were when circumstances
were unbearable. I desperately needed to see His goodness in this life and not
have to wait until Heaven. “In the land of the living” was, I felt, His promise
that I would see His goodness while I’m still alive.
As I write this, God’s goodness is not only poured out
into my life. I see it all around.
How, you ask? How, in the midst of grieving my mom’s
recent death? How, when I haven’t seen my son in 5 years and don’t know where
he is? How, when I spent 19 years as a single mom following unimaginable
betrayal and divorce? How, with the state that our country and world is in?
While this may be my reality, God’s goodness of peace, real
joy, contentment and comfort not only has matched each of my circumstances, but
has gone exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ask or think.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him
be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen” Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJ).
There is no earthly comfort…NONE…that can match the deep
and complete comfort that comes from God’s heart to one of his children. He
will form a purpose from any suffering you or I will endure. He will take
whatever is bad in our life and form pure goodness out of it…if we let Him.
Just ask Him. Be willing, to be willing to ask and let Him do
that.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with
the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings
of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ” II
Corinthians 1:3-5 (NKJ).
Whatever you need peace, comfort or to see the goodness
of the Lord in today, His promises in the above passages are yours. Not
partially, conditionally or half way, but fully.
A couple of weeks ago I went to collect my mom’s things
from the nursing home she was in. Eighty-nine-year old Maggie, donned in her
lipstick and cute hat, came to my mom’s room for their daily visit. She found
me instead, packing my mom’s things and I had to tell her she’d passed away
that morning.
Maggie looked straight at me and said, “God is good all
the time. All the time God is good.” The conviction in her bright eyes pierced
my grief, bringing comfort as she repeated this over and over to me.
The way I figure it, Maggie should know, as she has 89
years of experience in seeing God’s goodness in all things.
Will you, with me, believe that you’ll see God’s goodness
in your land of living, wherever and whatever that might be?
I welcome you to share your thoughts.
Seeing God’s goodness,
Terri
