God is Good, But...

Tough subject today.  Hang in there.

First the good part.  I read Psalm 86 today and came up with a list of God’s attributes:

God is…
Good
Ready to forgive
Abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon you
Great
The doer of wondrous deeds
One who will answer
The God whom all the nations will worship
The deliverer
Merciful
Gracious
My helper
My comfort

Now the hard part:  what do you do if your experience does not seem to line up with this list of God’s attributes?

I have been there. If God is so good then why…? First of all it is a matter of perspective.  We live in Satan’s world of garbage.  When you live in a garbage pit, you will get garbage on you! 

Secondly, though is the principle of “Deeper In”. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went with Him.  He left them and went deeper in with Peter, James, and John and asked them to remain there and pray for Him.  “And He went a little beyond them…” (Matt.26:39).  Jesus had to go to the Father by Himself and lay all things at the Father’s feet and be willing to lay His life down for mankind.  We know that “Jesus is the Answer”!  but when that does not seem enough, then we, too, must go deeper in and spend time in prayer before the Father with a heart willing to lay all things at His feet and being willing to bear whatever cross that He asks of us.  There at the altar of worship you will find peace and God’s goodness and comfort and His deliverance.  He may not deliver you from the circumstance, but He will deliver you from self and the demands that self makes.  You will find His mercy and grace so overwhelmingly that your circumstances will be put into perspective.  It is not hard to bear the cross that God has required of you if you endure it for the joy that is beyond.  And you get that eternal perspective in deep worship and denial of self.

My prayer for each of you is that you go “Deeper in” and experience the joy of Christ and comfort of His word and presence.  I would love to pray a life of ease and peace, but I know that this will not happen, especially if you stay on the front lines in the battle against Satan.  When your heart despairs, go deeper in.  Jesus is the answer and He is enough!

Book suggestion: When God Weeps: Why Our Suffering Matters to the Almighty by Joni Earkickson-Tada and Steve Estes