The Goodness of God

    Ain't no doubt about You
    Everywhere that I go You keep showin' up
    Lord, You make me wanna shout it, oh
    You're the goodness in my life 
    (“The Goodness” sung by Toby Mac and Blessing Offor)
    Life is filled with both ups and downs. We cannot have one without the other and recently I was suddenly hit with one of those downs. But, what I love about God is that He doesn’t allow you to stay down, He always finds ways to give you the pick-me-up He knows you need.
    While feeling very discouraged, I found myself watching the 2022 Dove Awards on Youtube. From the first song that kicked off this event I began to feel encouraged. But there was one song that caused me to say to myself “That’s for me.” It was a song sung by Toby Mac and Blessing Offor entitled: “The Goodness.” I think what really brought it home for me was Toby Mac’s introduction to the song. He spoke about the death of his oldest son and how God helped him in the midst of tragedy to write such an upbeat song. God was still good. Part of the first verse is as follows:
    You made the rain so when it falls on me
    Should I complain or feel You callin' me
    It's all on me to stay and really catch what You're showin'
    It's my roots that You're growin’ ‘cause life is more than this moment
    Whether we like it or not, life is going to happen yet, it is so important to learn what God is showing us through those seasons. We can easily get caught up in what happened and why it happened that we end up missing the important lessons God is teaching us. Toby Mac had unexpectedly lost his oldest son. Blessing Offor had completely lost his sight as a young boy. Yet, they recognised that in spite of the bad that had come their way, GOD WAS STILL GOOD. God did not stop being good because bad things had happened. He was still good. Period.
    I am reminded here of the story of Job. What Job went through was nothing short of tragic as one tragedy after the next ripped through his life leaving him shocked, confused and grieving. Yet, he refused to deny or turn his back on his God. As far as he was concerned, worship was his option. Although he had many questions and was amply supplied by “friends” with reasons as to why tragedy had come his way, as well as suggestions on how he should respond, he chose to worship his God (Job 1:20). God was still good. That had not changed even though he had lost so much. 
    Psalm 27:13 says, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” When our hope is in God, we can expect Him to be there for us and to strengthen us as we go through difficult situations. We can have hope that He will bring good out of our challenging circumstances and that what we will learn at those times will make us stronger, wiser and better. God never fails.
    This is what I am learning as I go through my own challenges. God is still good no matter what! That doesn’t change even though I may have a good day or a bad day. And, it is a truth that gives me hope in the midst of any situation. 
    So, whatever you are facing today, I am not going to promise you that things will get better overnight but I can tell you that God will never leave you alone in your situation and that He will give you the strength and grace you need to make it through. You are going to make it! He is still good no matter what!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so now. God wants to be your strength and support so that as you go through life’s challenges, you can be encouraged that you will see God’s goodness no matter what you go through.