i've been thinking a lot about the goodness of God lately. i've been reading the old testament for forever (due in part to trying the whole read-through-the-Bible-chronologically thing and getting about a month and a half behind...). after reading about so much that was going on with those israelites and also the different things that are coming up in my life, it really makes me wonder what God is thinking and what it means for me to believe in the infinite goodness of God.
my uncle choked this week and had to be given CPR. luckily there was a nurse right next to him who could help him. the common response has been "God is good" but, in all honesty, part of me wonders why it had to happen in the first place.
between that, the car breaking, my stomach issues, and several small other things going wrong, i've been keenly aware of the brokenness of the world, and how things are not the way they were meant to be. i've been frustrated and just incredibly sad. how lucky it was for me to read lamenations this week. this book has meant a lot to me in different times in my life, and these words, again, spoke to my heart:
...yet this i call to mind and therefore i have hope:
because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. they are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness.
i say to myself, "the Lord is my portion; therefore i will wait for Him."
the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord...
let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.
(lamentations 3:21-26, 40)
because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. they are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness.
i say to myself, "the Lord is my portion; therefore i will wait for Him."
the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord...
let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.
(lamentations 3:21-26, 40)
only this time it was different. this time it hit me...when it says "the Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him" i don't think it means that He is bad to those whose hope is not in Him. I think that it means that if all my hope is in Him, then He will be all that i need. my portion. my provider.
additionally, i read further than ending at verse 26. i read to verse 40. "let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." how many times have i asked the Lord "why" when maybe i should be asking myself "why". do i have the right to examine the Lord's ways and ask whether or not He is truly good, when i have no clue as to what my own ways are, and i know that i am far from good?
i've been asking myself a lot lately the same question that paul asks the galatians: "where has all my joy gone?" the other day i couldn't stop thinking about the song "o come, o come, Emmanuel" (and no, i have not started listening to Christmas music yet...be proud). i think that i got my answer: we should rejoice, because Emmanuel, our hope, our portion and our provider is near.
additionally, i read further than ending at verse 26. i read to verse 40. "let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." how many times have i asked the Lord "why" when maybe i should be asking myself "why". do i have the right to examine the Lord's ways and ask whether or not He is truly good, when i have no clue as to what my own ways are, and i know that i am far from good?
i've been asking myself a lot lately the same question that paul asks the galatians: "where has all my joy gone?" the other day i couldn't stop thinking about the song "o come, o come, Emmanuel" (and no, i have not started listening to Christmas music yet...be proud). i think that i got my answer: we should rejoice, because Emmanuel, our hope, our portion and our provider is near.
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