Experiencing God's Goodness Through Trials
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusts in Him (Psalm 34:8).”
As a basketball player, the best way you get to know your teammates is when you are going through a difficult game. When the opponent is easy and everything is going great, all of your teammates seem reliable; you only really get to know their strengths and weaknesses when time is running out and you desperately need someone to make a play. It is the same in many situations in life; we find out who someone actually is not in good times but in the bad ones!
In the above verse we see that God wants us to taste and see that He is good. In other wor
ds, God doesn’t only want you to know He is good in your head, He wants you to experience it in your every day life. God’s goodness is His inherent nature of kindness, compassion, and virtue; He wants us to know Him as a good God. And one of the greatest ways we get to know God’s goodness is when He leads us through trials.
This truth may not make a lot of sense at the beginning. Many times we associate God’s goodness with His blessings, and that is true; however, sometimes He blesses us by leading us through difficulties in this life. As we go through trying situations on earth, we come to know God in a way we never could in easy times. The confusion around us makes the goodness of God shine all the brighter. The truth is that Jesus never promised His followers a life of earthly ease and prosperity, but rather He promised eternal glory and heavenly riches! And our trying times on earth give us treasure in heaven that is far greater than anything on earth; God works every situation for our eternal good (Romans 8:28).
Consider Joseph. He was a righteous man who served God, yet his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery in Egypt. After this he was unjustly thrown into prison, and was forgotten by everyone who he had helped. Yet after many years of horrible treatment, in the end Joseph became the governor of all Egypt (behind Pharaoh) and through his wisdom saved the nation and the surrounding people by storing grain for the years of famine. Eventually he was reconciled with his brothers, and his testimony to them was this, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20).” God had a good purpose through all his suffering.
We can also think about the Apostle Paul. In the middle of a successful missionary journey, he and his coworker Silas were thrown into the inner dungeon of a Philippian prison. How did Paul respond? By praising God in the middle of his dungeon! He proclaimed the goodness of God when everything around him was going wrong. In the end, God sent an earthquake to release the prisoners, and the jailer himself got saved, along with all his family! Proclaim the goodness of God in every situation, for He is good all the time, regardless of what you are going through.
Let’s focus our eyes and our minds on Jesus, the One who is infinitely valuable, the Greatest Treasure. When we see Him we are overwhelmed and captured by His goodness. He is worth so much more than our present struggles. Jesus is waiting for you, so praise Him in every circumstance. He is good.
As a basketball player, the best way you get to know your teammates is when you are going through a difficult game. When the opponent is easy and everything is going great, all of your teammates seem reliable; you only really get to know their strengths and weaknesses when time is running out and you desperately need someone to make a play. It is the same in many situations in life; we find out who someone actually is not in good times but in the bad ones!
In the above verse we see that God wants us to taste and see that He is good. In other wor
ds, God doesn’t only want you to know He is good in your head, He wants you to experience it in your every day life. God’s goodness is His inherent nature of kindness, compassion, and virtue; He wants us to know Him as a good God. And one of the greatest ways we get to know God’s goodness is when He leads us through trials. This truth may not make a lot of sense at the beginning. Many times we associate God’s goodness with His blessings, and that is true; however, sometimes He blesses us by leading us through difficulties in this life. As we go through trying situations on earth, we come to know God in a way we never could in easy times. The confusion around us makes the goodness of God shine all the brighter. The truth is that Jesus never promised His followers a life of earthly ease and prosperity, but rather He promised eternal glory and heavenly riches! And our trying times on earth give us treasure in heaven that is far greater than anything on earth; God works every situation for our eternal good (Romans 8:28).
Consider Joseph. He was a righteous man who served God, yet his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery in Egypt. After this he was unjustly thrown into prison, and was forgotten by everyone who he had helped. Yet after many years of horrible treatment, in the end Joseph became the governor of all Egypt (behind Pharaoh) and through his wisdom saved the nation and the surrounding people by storing grain for the years of famine. Eventually he was reconciled with his brothers, and his testimony to them was this, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20).” God had a good purpose through all his suffering.
We can also think about the Apostle Paul. In the middle of a successful missionary journey, he and his coworker Silas were thrown into the inner dungeon of a Philippian prison. How did Paul respond? By praising God in the middle of his dungeon! He proclaimed the goodness of God when everything around him was going wrong. In the end, God sent an earthquake to release the prisoners, and the jailer himself got saved, along with all his family! Proclaim the goodness of God in every situation, for He is good all the time, regardless of what you are going through.
Let’s focus our eyes and our minds on Jesus, the One who is infinitely valuable, the Greatest Treasure. When we see Him we are overwhelmed and captured by His goodness. He is worth so much more than our present struggles. Jesus is waiting for you, so praise Him in every circumstance. He is good.
posted by Cameron at 7:56 PM
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