One evening many years ago, I remember sitting in a green velvet wingback chair, and my eyes were completely fixed upon the person in the matching wingback chair next to me. I stared at him for an hour, not talking, not touching, just staring as he stared at me. Strange behavior, really.
It was one of those moments when speech could not convey what was in the heart, hearts that were bursting for joy and wonder that the Lord had brought us together. The future sparkled in the rays of God’s goodness. It overwhelmed me, and I could not take it all in.
Surely you, too, have had those wonderful moments when God’s goodness hit you hard, like when your child said or did something so cute, so sweet, so touching that it almost hurt. God is so good to us! He leaves love notes everywhere. And sometimes they just bring tears to your eyes.
Yet when trials come, even wee little annoyances, we are often tempted to doubt God’s goodness. This temptation is the oldest trick in the book. Do you remember the first thing that the serpent said to Eve? He said, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?‘”
(Genesis 3:1). The question was phrased in such a way as to cast doubt on the goodness of God, as though God was holding out on Eve. Since then, can you think of any sin that in some way or another does not involve doubting the goodness of God?
In Luke 18:9 Jesus declares, “No one is good except God alone.” God is the gold standard, the “Greenwich Mean Time” of goodness. Stand on this rock, for it will not fail.
Say with Paul, “God causes all things to work together for good…”
(Romans 8:28).
Say with Asaph, “…the nearness of God is my good” (Psalm 73:28).
And say with Job, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” (Job 13:15).
