Always Good

Psalm 27:13 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.”

For many people life has become what seems…overwhelming. I have found a solution during those times of difficulty by refocusing my attention away from the chaos and toward the One who is above all my circumstances…Jesus.

He never changes…His love never ceases….His plans cannot be overthrown….He restores, He brings deliverance, and He heals.

I write this with a particular people in mind. I won’t go into detail for the sake of maintaining their anonymity, but I hear their cries of despair and I want to remind them, they are not forgotten. The Lord will reach forth to the utter most parts of the earth into enemy territory and revive His people once again. Once He has them, He never lets go.

Psalm 107:1 “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Why would He do this? Why is it that He finds the lowly so worthy of His love?

It not because they deserve it but He does it anyway—this is Mercy.

When considering our position before God, I’m reminded of the late great Jonathan Edwards, one of the evangelists of the 18th century that catalyzed the Great Awakening. He helped propel America from the secular rationalism that was beginning to dominate society, along with the indifference to faith and religion that was growing popular, back toward a Christ centered, biblical based culture that helped form the framework of our Constitution and country we know today.

In 1741, Edwards delivered a sermon entitled, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”. The teaching became a center point of radical repentance that turned people from their self-described ideology and pride into a people of humility, righteousness, and truth.

You can imagine the response this controversial sermon had to its listeners. From a people who were undoubtedly strong and proud, to a people who were given an eternal perspective and the realization of what true strength looks like, the impact was quite profound.

The reminder of who God is and what His nature is like helps us understand why He responds like He does and gives us confidence in Him as we move forward into trust.

If I were to sum up what it means to trust in God, I would echo A.W. Tozer’s sentiments… Faith is just trust in action.

I can’t say I trust in the Lord and then attempt to remove all doubt in my life by trying to plan for every circumstance. Whenever I attempt to do this, anxiety rises up and the overwhelming nature of my limitations becomes more apparent with each attempt at control.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

The Standard of Perfection

What is it that actually causes anxiety in people? Is it the message of fire and brimstone that paints a picture of Hell and the nature of God’s response toward sin, or could it be something else?

I propose that a majority of fear and anxiety in people is a lack of ability to fully control all circumstances.

• Fear of the unknown becomes the lack of our ability to control our future.
• Anxiety within relationships comes from the inability to control others perceptions and responses toward us.
• Anxiety in marriages can stem from a lack of financial control, relational security, or from a fear of losing a loved one.

I’ve never been a big fan of fire and brimstone preaching, the kind of preaching that gives such a trepid depiction of Hell that it leaves it’s listeners striving to secure their eternal position away from Hell and toward Heaven. Often times, the reality that Hell isn’t upon us, at least for the moment gives the illusion that it’s just a false threat. Often times people will measure their lives against a standard that isn’t quite as ruthless as God’s laws, usually from a standard that is culturally accepted or from an expectation they feel they have risen above.

A common fix is to declare that “since I can’t be perfect, I will compare myself to other imperfect people who claim to be good and if I feel like I’m a better person than they are, I should be secure—at least that is often times the reasoning.

Romans 3:12 “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Eternal security shouldn’t be the motivation.

Whenever we place our own ability into a formula for whether we are secure or not, we add an element of insecurity. The world has a long history of failure, making mistakes is common and because the flesh lacks the foresight to see what lies ahead, people often create their own controversy by placing themselves as the priority of their plans.

Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.“

Doesn’t it make more sense to place trust in God’s provision since He knows what lies ahead and His thoughts are what lead people into Peace?

A Reality Check

Psalm 40:5 “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us–none can compare to You–if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.”

After the previous presidential elections in America, an interesting phenomenon occurred—throughout the United States a large group of self-professed prophets claimed God gave them a sign that Donald Trump would be re-elected. These prophets used all forms of dramatic vigils and demonstrations to give their listeners the idea they were directly channeling God’s vision of America through them.

Once the election was complete and Joe Biden was elected President, the “prophets” had to draw a conclusion about themselves or their circumstances regarding the outcome. One of the people who faced this dilemma was the man Jeremiah Johnson, a self-described prophet who had to decide whether there was a giant conspiracy that masked a truly elected Trump or whether he was just a false prophet that got it wrong.

Out of all the false prophets that arose to the surface of evangelical America like curdled milk, he alone admitted his lack of insight, shut down his Jeremiah Johnson ministry, and then did a youtube series entitle “I was wrong”. This action enraged his followers who believed Trump was ‘God’s man’, and that he would lead America back to greatness.

The world’s dilemma today is far greater than just one man’s inability to hear God , we have a systemic problem that has woven itself throughout every aspect of society….the acceptance of sin.

Revelation 2:2-4 “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”

Morality has become what the world hoped it would be, a watered down exhibition of political correctness that takes the worlds standard and makes it the expectation. The world’s standard of righteousness is not God’s standard and yet the church has allowed an infection of immorality to systemically putrefy what God deemed as Holy.

God’s wonders are a revelation of His majesty, a marvel that He has revealed through His people. Believers show Christ by the love He demonstrates through them. If Christians don’t know how to love, then who will? They are either not of God or they have lost touch with His Spirit who works within them.

Secure in Christ

When it comes to the goodness of God in believers, anything good is a demonstration of Christ in them.

Since God is good, all His plans are good. All that He does is good. God intervenes in the lives of people who have given Him their life, He orders it and they trust where He leads. Whenever God acts it is always good. We need not fear since God is in control. All of our desires of peace, security, and joy will be realized only in Him. If we trust Him, we will follow Him. If we love Him, we will show love by obedience, not empty promises.

Isaiah 55:12 “You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

The righteous live by faith. They walk according to the law of the Lord, and in His law do they meditate day and night. They are like springs of water, bringing forth the goodness of the Lord in a dry and thirsty land. The world doesn’t need more election prophecies, it doesn’t need more political turmoil….it needs Jesus.

Let’s hope the church doesn’t forget why it is here.