The Goodness Of God
If you could describe your relationship with Jesus in one word what would it be?
My one word is faithful. As I look back on my life thus far, God has always had His hand on my life, even when I could not see it. When I step back and look at where I am versus where I was ten years ago, it is crazy how so many prayers have come to fruition. Things I prayed and cried over to God for years, I am now living. It’s so awesome to think about! And it’s all because God has been so faithful to me. God’s faithfulness deserves my faith in return.
A song you would likely hear me singing on my drive to work is the Bethel Music song, ‘Goodness of God.’ The chorus sings,
All my life you have been faithful.
All my life you have been so, so good.
With every breath that I am able,
I will sing of the goodness of God.
Whenever I begin to grumble, this song seems to play. God knows I need to be reminded of how He has shown up in my life. The beauty of how things have played out is something I could never have dreamed up.
The crazy thing is, God is continuing to be faithful on my behalf. Although I may not understand why certain things happen right now, in a few years when I look back, I may understand better why God put me in certain situations or I went through different trials. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” While this is speaking to when we get to Heaven, it is somewhat similar to when we reflect on our lives and see how God worked.
One Biblical example of God’s faithfulness is the example of Sarah. While Abraham and Sarah were faithful to God, they had their fair share of questioning that faithfulness. Basically, Sarah wanted a baby. Sarah wanted a child so badly, she finally got fed up, and allowed Abraham to have a child with her Egyptian slave, Hagar (Genesis 16). I know, the first thing you may think is, what? But think of it this way: desperate people do desperate things. Sarah was human; she was unable to have a baby and sick of waiting. How many people do you know who have grown tired of waiting for a spouse or career or baby or fill-in-the-blank and take matters into their own hands? Instead of being patient in God’s faithfulness and having faith, they react in fear.
Hagar had a son, but God still remembered Sarah. God told Abraham, “I will bless her (Sarah) and will surely give you a son by her, I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; king of peoples will come from her (Genesis 17:16).” Not only was God going to give Sarah a child, but he was going to exceed any expectations she could have dreamed and make her the mother of nations!
God even appeared to Abraham to affirm this news. He told Abraham, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Now Sarah, in her curiosity, was eavesdropping and when she heard this, she began to laugh (Genesis 18). That’s how unbelievable this was to her. Sarah was in her nineties and God was telling her she would have a baby. Although this may seem comical, I believe this laugh of Sarah’s may have been a nervous, spiteful laugh of fear. But with God, nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26).
The first scripture of Genesis 21 reads, “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.” Sarah had a son at the very time God had promised. We then learn Sarah named her son Isaac, which means ‘he laughs.’ The heavenly irony of this is not lost on me. After Sarah was found laughing at what she thought was the lunacy of God’s plans, I find it truly like God that Sarah would name her son Isaac. For Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears this will laugh with me (Genesis 21:6).” This was no longer a laugh of sorrow, but I see her full blown, clutching her stomach, belly laughing at the beauty and goodness of God. Abraham and Sarah were not perfect by any means (keep reading and you will see God’s faithfulness play out for Hagar and her son, Ishmael), but they had faith. With that faith, they could see the faithfulness and goodness of God in His entirety.
Wherever you are at, keep praying. Remember we must hold on to our hope because God is faithful (Hebrews 10:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:3) Even if you don’t see God, know He is ever-present and has His mighty hand on your situation. When you look back on current situations, you will be thankful. However, thank Him now for His faithfulness and goodness. He has been faithful and good throughout my life, and He will do the same for you.
Can you think of a time when you looked back on something in your life and were thankful for the way God worked things out?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Whitney can be described by the opening lyrics of a few Tom Petty songs. She's a good girl who grew up in a small Indiana town who loves her mama, Jesus, and America too. She practices medicine as a physician assistant at an urgent care. Whitney is a music enthusiast and leads worship at her church. She has a heart for people, and wants to help young girls and women find their worth in Christ rather than what the world says of them. Whitney loves a good dad joke, the outdoors, spending time with family and friends, Southern manners, working on her fitness, attempting Pinterest crafts, and cheering on Indiana University basketball.