God is good—all the time!

“Examine and see how good the Lord is. Happy is the person who trusts him.” Psalm 34:8 NCV

The psalmist said, “Examine and see how good the Lord is.” Pay particular attention to the words examine and good. What you believe about God manifests itself in the way you live. What does it mean to be “good”? It means living up to the best you know. And since God is omniscient (all-knowing), He knows what your best is! His goodness is beyond all question. Because God is good—not just pious, but really, practically, consistently good—your cup of well-being, security, peace, confidence, and joy can be overflowing! A good God cannot break His promise, abandon His children, or fail to love and bless them. You can be sure that in every circumstance, He will treat you in the best possible way. When your life seems to be falling apart, sometimes it’s difficult to see God’s goodness or feel that things will get better. That’s when you must use the faith God has already given you, and by an act of your will, trust Him (see Romans 12:3). A wise pastor was asked by a troubled parishioner, “Pastor, does the world look like a wreck to you too?” He replied, “Yes, like the wreck of a bursting seed!” Without undergoing the “wreck” stage, during which its world literally falls apart, the acorn could never give life to an oak tree. So embrace God’s will in this trial because it’s “good, acceptable and perfect,” regardless of how it feels to you right now (see Romans 12:2). Ultimately, you’ll “see how good the Lord is. Happy is the person who trusts in him!”

Bible in a year: Haggai 1-2 and Revelation 14