God is Good

The chorus of voices around me sang the praise song and repeated the words over and over

God is so good.

God is so good.

He’s so good to me.

My heart was heavy. My lips were moving but no sound was coming out. I struggle to sing worship songs when I am struggling to trust or in a place of doubt.

“What is wrong with me?” my mind screamed. “You know that God is good”.

This Sunday, I found myself sitting in the middle of a long wait. Our family is in a time of waiting. We haven’t been through one of these for a few years, and this particular time it will involve me making a drastic change personally.

The chorus came to a close and we sat down as if in unison. My mind wandered as the Pastor addressed the congregation and began his morning message. But my mind couldn’t focus. I was too preoccupied with what had just happened during worship and knew I needed to reconcile my thoughts with God.

Silently I argued with the Creator of the Heavens. Haven’t we all been there? We can approach Him with such somberness and piety when we believe life is going our way. But when we are struggling, or doubt creeps in, it is easy to talk with Him like we would argue with our toddler about sitting down on their chair at the table.

As my inner dialogue continued, my heart was convicted to lay down my pride and surrender to the unrequited belief that He Is Good. Still my mind and flesh wanted to stubbornly cry out “Yeah, God, you are, but what about…..”

Honestly, the waiting is making me anxious. If I am honest, I am a little annoyed. I have prayed what has seemed like a million prayers over this one decision we would be making.

I want God to audibly talk to me.

I want to see a burning bush.

I want a clear sign.

Anything.

An anonymous text or a random note in the mail or letters in the sky.

As I thought and processed and reasoned I came to a quiet realization. I didn’t like it, but my heart needed to receive it.

My brain, so wrapped up in the decision to be made, began to make the “thing” I was worried about an idol. Oh it wasn’t a beautiful golden statue, or even something that caused me to sacrifice relationships or opportunities. But I was spending countless hours researching, fretting, and fussing, when God Himself was saying

“Your answer is found in me. Wait, Rest. Trust”.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6,ESV) These words I had quoted so often and claimed so readily in my early years of being an adult seemed like a distant memory. Did I still believe this?

How easy it is to forget to not lean on ourselves when we have been through crisis and victory and find that God was present but we chose to decide on our own.

Ouch. The one thing I never want is to take something and put it on the throne in place of a Holy God.

I want to surrender to His will, even if His will means waiting for His answers.

An idol doesn’t have to be anything but the one thing that takes my mind off of God. This is where Satan gets a foothold. Oh what a weasel he is. He knows that one thought of ourselves and God is no longer our focus. I, we, let our pride be our guide and do not surrender to the Lord’s nudging to take down our worry or idea and put Him where He belongs.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and and all these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33,ESV)

The way God responds to us in these situation attests to His compassion, His patience, His goodness.

Often, just in a day, I put somethings or someones up in my thoughts and concerns that are not my Jesus. I should be ashamed, ridiculed, abandoned. But time and time and time again I am accepted and loved and pursued. I surrender, I confess, and I rise with strength.

So I take my arm and shove off the wordly to make place for the holy.

When I do this, my heart sighs and peace floods in.

I still wait. Our family still doesn’t have an answer. But in a sense I do. I know God will be faithful. God will be there. God will be good. That is who He is and He can’t be anything else. So I will keep knocking, keep seeking, and keep waiting with expectancy. God is personal and He is so, so good.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.

(Psalms 27:13-14,ESV)

Lord, help me to remove anything that is above you. Let me remember that you are the one on the throne. Help me to rest in your promises. You are good. You are faithful. You will answer. In your name, Amen.

Love you!!

https://for-this-reason.org › 2019 › 11 › 07 › god-is-goodGod is Good – for this reasonUrl preview:Meta description preview:

Goodness can be a relative term. But God’s very nature expresses His goodness to us. Even when we are in a season of waiting we can trust Him.

• Document

God is so good.

He’s so good to me.

My heart was heavy. My lips were moving but no sound was coming out. I struggle to sing worship songs when I am struggling to trust or in a place of doubt.

“What is wrong with me?” my mind screamed. “You know that God is good”.

This Sunday, I found myself sitting in the middle of a long wait. Our family is in a time of waiting. We haven’t been through one of these for a few years, and this particular time it will involve me making a drastic change personally.

The chorus came to a close and we sat down as if in unison. My mind wandered as the Pastor addressed the congregation and began his morning message. But my mind couldn’t focus. I was too preoccupied with what had just happened during worship and knew I needed to reconcile my thoughts with God.

Silently I argued with the Creator of the Heavens. Haven’t we all been there? We can approach Him with such somberness and piety when we believe life is going our way. But when we are struggling, or doubt creeps in, it is easy to talk with Him like we would argue with our toddler about sitting down on their chair at the table.

As my inner dialogue continued, my heart was convicted to lay down my pride and surrender to the unrequited belief that He Is Good. Still my mind and flesh wanted to stubbornly cry out “Yeah, God, you are, but what about…..”

Honestly, the waiting is making me anxious. If I am honest, I am a little annoyed. I have prayed what has seemed like a million prayers over this one decision we would be making.

I want God to audibly talk to me.

I want to see a burning bush.

I want a clear sign.

Anything.

An anonymous text or a random note in the mail or letters in the sky.

As I thought and processed and reasoned I came to a quiet realization. I didn’t like it, but my heart needed to receive it.

My brain, so wrapped up in the decision to be made, began to make the “thing” I was worried about an idol. Oh it wasn’t a beautiful golden statue, or even something that caused me to sacrifice relationships or opportunities. But I was spending countless hours researching, fretting, and fussing, when God Himself was saying

“Your answer is found in me. Wait, Rest. Trust”.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6,ESV) These words I had quoted so often and claimed so readily in my early years of being an adult seemed like a distant memory. Did I still believe this?

How easy it is to forget to not lean on ourselves when we have been through crisis and victory and find that God was present but we chose to decide on our own.

Ouch. The one thing I never want is to take something and put it on the throne in place of a Holy God.

I want to surrender to His will, even if His will means waiting for His answers.

An idol doesn’t have to be anything but the one thing that takes my mind off of God. This is where Satan gets a foothold. Oh what a weasel he is. He knows that one thought of ourselves and God is no longer our focus. I, we, let our pride be our guide and do not surrender to the Lord’s nudging to take down our worry or idea and put Him where He belongs.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and and all these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33,ESV)

The way God responds to us in these situation attests to His compassion, His patience, His goodness.

Often, just in a day, I put somethings or someones up in my thoughts and concerns that are not my Jesus. I should be ashamed, ridiculed, abandoned. But time and time and time again I am accepted and loved and pursued. I surrender, I confess, and I rise with strength.

So I take my arm and shove off the wordly to make place for the holy.

When I do this, my heart sighs and peace floods in.

I still wait. Our family still doesn’t have an answer. But in a sense I do. I know God will be faithful. God will be there. God will be good. That is who He is and He can’t be anything else. So I will keep knocking, keep seeking, and keep waiting with expectancy. God is personal and He is so, so good.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.

(Psalms 27:13-14,ESV)

Lord, help me to remove anything that is above you. Let me remember that you are the one on the throne. Help me to rest in your promises. You are good. You are faithful. You will answer. In your name, Amen.

Love you!!