Do You Believe in God’s Goodness?

Do you struggle with believing in God’s goodness?

Maybe that question catches you off guard, or maybe you’re not even quite sure what I mean by it. Or maybe the question makes you uncomfortable and you don’t even want to think about it.

If it makes you uncomfortable, believe me, I understand. It makes me uncomfortable too. It’s almost like I’m questioning God, like I’m questioning the truthfulness of His word, or like I’m questioning His love. But when we hide from confronting the issues and being completely honest about something we stop our ability to move beyond that point. If you and I are going to grow then we must face the issues and resolve the conflicts that keep running through our minds.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in a while. It’s actually been over two weeks since I’ve posted anything. I’ve drafted a couple of items, but that’s as far as they got. You see, I’m struggling and I’m hurting. I’m feeling as thought I followed God’s directions and did what He asked, but then the outcome was a total flop. From my perspective it was a failure. Nothing came out like what I had prayed for and expected. Quite honestly, I feel like God let me down. It seems that He didn’t answer my prayers at all. I feel like I did what I was supposed to do, but then God didn’t do His part.

Don’t worry, I’ve already had this conversation with God, and He didn’t strike me dead for my gripping. And before you tell me that God is more concerned with my character than He is in my comfort, I know that. I’ve even preached that sermon to an entire church. That’s not my point. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is something deeper, lots deeper.

I realize that there were men in the Bible who felt the same way. I read about Job whom God Himself said was perfect and righteous, yet he questioned the goodness of God. I read about David whom God says was a man after His own heart, yet time and again he felt God had abandoned him and left him to fend for himself. I read about Elijah who called down fire from heaven, yet then feels God has let him down and left him all alone.

What I’m recognizing is that when we focus on self we take our eyes off of God and His goodness. After his trial Job recognized that he used to know about God but now he knew God. David always seems to return to the theme that he will refocus on God’s goodness and trust in what he knows is true, rather than focusing on the circumstances and what seems to be true. God had to remind Elijah that he didn’t have all the facts, and that in reality he was not alone at all.

I want to refocus on my Lord’s goodness. I want to refocus on the truth that my Heavenly Father loves me so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die for me. I want to refocus on the truth that my Lord never makes a mistake. I want to refocus on the truth that my God hurts over my pain, but that for my good He is going to let me go through the circumstances and learn the lessons that will help me grow and become better. I want to refocus on His promises that this will work out for my good, that God has my best interest at heart, and that He will not withhold any good thing from me.

How about you? Do you struggle like I do? If so, why don’t you drop me a note and I’ll pray for you as I pray for myself and my own struggles. God is growing us into becoming better. He does not want us to remain as we are, but He wants us to become mature so that we impact others for His kingdom.

Until next time,

Jim