“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever”.
Psalm 136:1
Religion or church attendance is good but they are not enough to know the person of God or to have a personal relationship with him. When we have a personal relationship with God we will know the truth about His person and we will find it easier to trust him.
To trust in God we must understand His divine attributes which includes: perfect goodness, wisdom, and omnipotence, meaning all powerful. Psalm 31:19 says: “How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, before the sons of men”
What then are the lessons to be learnt from the attribute of God as a good God? We must fear God and do his bidding in order to gain his trust which enables us partake in his goodness.
Beyond knowing about Jesus we must believe all his promises and apply his word to our life’s situation in faith- believing that He has the best for us.
In Jeremiah 29:11, we read about God testifying about His goodness to His children saying “ For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
The following steps can help us to know and experience the goodness of God:
To be lifted above the peripheral boundaries of life, beyond mere existence and towards living a purposeful life we must know God and trust his leading.
In Isaiah 45:19 God assures the children about his leading saying :” I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right”.
We should claim his forgiveness on regular basis by confessing our sins so that we can live with a clear conscience. Romans 8:1 makes this clear saying : “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.
Knowing this, we must stand firm after confession of any known sin when the devil makes us fearful or guilty. We must understand that God is greater than our hearts and our feelings therefore we should lean on him in faith to stand up to our nagging doubts and fears.
1 John 3:20 says : “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything”.
The abundance of his goodness involves the fact that Jesus daily intercedes on our behalf therefore we have nothing to fear. (Hebrews 7:25)
We should get to trust him as the giver of gifts more than the gift itself. What is important to God ultimately is how a person grows in the knowledge of God not in the triumph of prosperity or in the sadness that poverty brings.
By extension we should know that knowing God is worth more than all the prosperity life can offer while recognizing that earthly success is not necessarily a proof of God’s approval likewise trouble is not a proof of God’s disapproval. The suffering and restoration of Job testifies to this fact.
Finally, we should expect our relationship with God to be tested by life’s challenges because an untested truth becomes static and lifeless.
When the truth we hold dearly are tested and we come out good it births in us a living faith for a winning life.
Just like a drought drives the root of a tree deeper to find water, life challenges are meant to drive us beyond superficial faith to depend on God unconditionally in both good and bad times.
1 Peter 5:10 says, “ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”. Amen
Reading John 3:16-21
