How can we contemplate the goodness of God in the midst of the storms of life? Bitterness can slip into our hearts so easily if we don’t keep our focus on God’s goodness. But God knows how powerfully our trials test us. He knows that we struggle to see beyond what we can see in front of us, and He is ever merciful to carry us through.
I know many of us have prayers we have prayed for a long time that have yet to be answered. When we focus on what isn’t instead of what He has already done, we can sometimes overlook the answered prayers (way more than we have expected at times) like they just happened and we never before needed or had an intervention from God in our lives.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).
If He was good before, He is good now. He does not change.
It would be easy to distance ourselves from the joy of others if we have allowed bitterness to confuse our understanding of who God is when we can’t hear His voice or recognize His hand. How much better for us if we choose to see God’s miraculous provision (all good gifts), wherever it is to be found, and rejoice over the goodness of God.
When I was a child we sang a song in church that referred to a sacrifice of praise. I took it to mean that God is worthy of our adoration no matter what we face. How lovely to the heart of God if we humble ourselves and let His love live through our brokenness. What a sweet sound to His ears when we lift our still-uncertain-of-how-everything-will-work-out voices to glorify His name.
Bitterness is pride, humility yields and celebrates the love and provision and the goodness of God even when we hurt. He has given us the opportunity to look at what is good and to think on those things. True joy doesn’t come from a lack of pain and sorrow, it comes from knowing that we know that God is good. There is evidence all around us. There is evidence in the cross of Christ. There is evidence in the eternal life He has purchased for us. Let us offer a sacrifice of praise today.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him. Psalm 28:7