TRUSTING THE GOODNESS OF GOD

No matter what we are going through or how long we have been struggling with serious problems, the truth of the Bible never changes, and God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His goodness does not vary depending on our circumstances. God showed us His perfect love on the cross when He gave His Son to die for us, so that we could be His. For all of us who love Jesus and are “called according to His purpose,” He causes everything that happens to us, good or bad, to work together for our good (Romans 8:28). In the Bible we find countless evidence of the goodness, faithfulness, mercy, and compassion of our heavenly Father for all of us.

• Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

 
The psalmist David wrote that the Lord’s goodness and mercy are always available to us, because “all the days of our life” means that every day is included. The goodness that God has for us represents everything that God wants us to experience. And mercy is, “kindness, compassion, piety.” But do we manage to enjoy what the Lord has for us every day? These terms have been so distorted by the world we live in that we have come to believe that they can rarely be part of our lives. But if we believe that the truth of God’s Word is absolute, this verse says that our heavenly Father has done everything in His power for us to enjoy His goodness and mercy. This means it is up to us to make the right choices and benefit from all that the Lord has for us. God has made His blessings available to us, and when we take possession of them by faith, we dwell in the presence of the Lord forever.
 
Much of the time we are sad and unhappy because we worry about something that may never happen, or we feel offended by things that have no real importance. The more often we choose to feed ourselves with verses that speak of God's goodness and faithfulness, the sooner we may give Him our worries, problems and pains, and choose to be fully satisfied because the goodness, mercy and patience of our heavenly Father accompany us every step of the way. If we know the truth, we will no longer believe the lies of the enemy that he tries to slip into our minds through thoughts that seem to be ours. The Lord wants us to focus our attention on Him and on everything He tells us in His Word, while the devil wants us to look at everything that happens to us in this world and fear everything that is bad.

• Psalms 5:12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.

 
God made His Son, “who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (1 Corinthians 5:21). We are the righteous ones who by coming to the Lord have received the righteousness of Jesus. God's favor for us surrounds us like a shield, but the Lord does not force us to receive His protection. If we believe the lies of the enemy or continue to think according to the thought patterns of the evil one, because we have not renewed our minds through the Word of God, we give him power to harm us and thus we leave our Father God’s ​protection. The apostle James wrote very clearly that God cannot do anything evil, nor can he be tempted to do evil.

• James 1:13,17 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. […] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

 
God is good. He is also love, and every good and perfect thing we receive comes from Him. And if verse 13 didn't convince us of what our heavenly Father does for us, verse 17 tells us that the Lord does not change over time. He is the same at every moment in time, just as Jesus is.

• Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

 
We can be sure that God does what He promises, He never changes, and He loves us unconditionally, no matter our performances.

• Psalms 112:1-9 Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man deals graciously and lends; he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted with honor.

 
Let us meditate on what the Bible says about us, so that we may understand how great God's goodness is and be sure that He wants the best for us. It is important that we visualize the Lord’s promises fulfilled in our lives. Let us see ourselves joyful, healthy, and fulfilled, so that we truly know and trust how good our Lord is so that we “may reign in life through the One and Only, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17b).
 
Carmen Pușcaș