Wise Thought:
God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken.
And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.
~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Psalm 65:5
By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest sea;
† Recovery Prayer †
My Loving Father,
Forgive me when I doubt Your goodness and wisdom.
Oftentimes I am confused and discouraged,
but this should not be a reflection on Your
grace and mercy. It is I who cannot see, whose eyes are dim.
Teach me to trust You in all circumstances.
In the name of Jesus I pray.
Amen.
1. The goodness of God is a character trait which applies to every other attribute. God’s wrath is good. God’s holiness is good. God’s righteousness is good. God is good in His entirety. There is nothing about God that is not good. There is nothing God purposes for His children that is not good. God gives to His children only that which is good. And He withholds nothing good from us. God is good, and He is at work in our lives for good. Nothing which God creates, nothing which God accomplishes, is not good.14.
2. In the biblical account of the fall of Adam and Eve, it is significant that Satan’s attack was on this dimension of the character of God. It is true Satan virtually called God a liar, but the first attack of Satan was waged against the attribute of His goodness. It was a subtle attack, but one that should be obvious to the Christian who reads these words:.
3. God is good, and everything He created is good. But the one thing in the garden which was not “good” to eat was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Satan’s seemingly innocent question was intended to undermine Eve’s confidence in the goodness of God. By the time Satan has finished, Eve has come to view God as the One who is less than good, and the forbidden fruit as that which is good. Once Eve doubted the goodness of God, it was a great deal easier for her to disobey Him. If God was not good and was not acting for her good, then why should she obey Him? Indeed, why should she not act independently of God in seeking her own good—the forbidden fruit?.
4. Satan first changed Eve’s perspective of God, and then he was able to persuade her to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit. The goodness of God is a perspective from which we can and should view all of God’s commands, including His prohibitions. It is apparent from what happened as a result of the eating of the forbidden fruit that God forbade that fruit for man’s good. The prohibition was an expression of God’s goodness. She did not understand why God forbade it, but knowing that God was good should have been enough. What a good God forbids must be evil, and what a good God commands must be good. We must know the truth found in the Word of God to avoid Satan when he tempts us to change our perspective of God. He often does this by causing us to doubt God and His Word.
5. In the midst of sorrow and unanswered questions, there are certain truths I know to be true. For the Christian, I know this good God causes all things to work together for good, for all whom He has chosen and who have placed their trust in Him (Romans 8:28). I know death came from the hand of our good God and that He is using it for good. I even can reflect on some of the ways tragedy is being used for good.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
6. There is such an absolute perfection in God’s nature and being that nothing is wanting to it or defective in it, and nothing can be added to it to make it better. He is originally good, good of Himself, which nothing else is; for all creatures are good only by participation and communication from God. He is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself: the creature’s good is a super-added quality, in God it is His essence. He is infinitely good; the creature’s good is but a drop, but in God there is an infinite ocean or gathering together of good. He is eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is; as there can be no addition made to Him, so no subtraction from Him.
7. Trusting God means that no matter what your circumstances that you have confidence that He is accomplishing His plan for you. That s why Paul wrote, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:12) A follower of Jesus can be content in all circumstances because they know that God is working all thing not just some but all things for their good (Romans 8:28) If we can agree that the opposite of trust in fear or anxiety, Jesus gives us a great formula for building trust, Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life your heavenly Father knows [what] you need But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25,32,33) When you make your number one priority in life to listen to the voice of God directing you there will be no reason for fear or anxiety because you will see Him provide for all that you need. That is true trust!
Peace and Love
Rev.Bola
Pastor - Christians Victorious Fellowship (Int)
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