His Goodness

 I would have despaired, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Psalm 27:13.....

..."We can come to God in the confident expectation that we will see His goodness here, now, and forever.....Your goodness will show up in every situation I face, in every area of life." Chris Tiegreen

We're at the beginning of Christmas week, and though it is a time of joy and wonder for so many, it is anything but for more than a few. Those walking through the grief of this life, from the death of loved ones to the collapse of a marriage, to the wanderings of a prodigal child, know very well the deep, gnawing pain that this time of year can bring. Maybe you're walking through such a time right now. If you are, I encourage you, indeed, exhort you to trust in the words of David the Psalmist from Psalm 27. When all the forces of darkness and this world seek to pull you down, dare to look up....and believe. You will see His goodness again. Perhaps much sooner than you think. 

A.W. Tozer wrote, "God never tires of inviting people to come and experience His goodness and taste His wonderful grace." In those very real times of heaviness and sorrow, we must continue to tune our ears to His voice. If we do, we will hear His persistent invitation to come unto Him, to experience Him. To experience the One who is goodness itself. 

I know the very real pain of loss, of being separated from loved ones, and of living in the midst of circumstances that only seem to get darker and more hopeless. All we can see is the grey horizon of more days and hours like the ones we've already lived. Like David, our "adversaries," be they people or events, are everywhere. The enemy whispers in our ear that our God is nowhere to be found, that He's abandoned us. This is where we must choose to believe what He's promised, that He will not leave us or forsake us. We must choose to listen to the words of a song I heard a number of years ago; "When you're going through hell, don't stop." Press on. Know that He gives you the strength to do so. Know that this is not where it ends for you. He leaves no one in the wilderness. He leaves no one in the middle of the storm. He takes us through. He gets us to the other side.

In the years since I first came to Him, I have known so many Christmas seasons of great joy, but I have also known some that held great pain and heartbreak. Pain so deep that I felt on the edge of despair. Heartbreak so devastating that I simply wanted to fall beside "the road" and give up. But always, David's words from Psalm 27:13 would come to mind, along with other of His promises of hope. I chose to believe, in spite of all appearances, that I would see His goodness, experience His deliverance, and that his was not the place that I would perish. And I experienced His goodness immediately in that by His grace, I had the strength to take another step, and another, and then another.....till I reached the other side. 

Fellow travelers, if you know something today of what I speak, answer His invitation to experience His goodness. You will. He is faithful. Where you are is not where your journey ends, not if you journey with Him. Press on! In His grace and strength, press on. You will see His goodness and taste His grace. He leaves no one, especially you, in the wilderness.

Blessings,
Pastor O