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“God is good!”
“I am blessed!”
Have you ever said that when your prayers were answered how you wanted them to be answered? Those are normal, appropriate responses when we’re feeling grateful, and acknowledging God’s goodness draws us closer to Him.
But isn’t God good all the time? And aren’t we already abundantly blessed? Do we humbly say, “God is good!” even when our prayers seem to go unheard? Do we praise Him for His goodness even when life knocks us down?
That’s a difficult thing to do. And that’s exactly the example Job gave us when Satan destroyed everything and everyone precious to him.
When he had lost everything, Job ‘tore his robe, shaved his head’ – how the ancient people expressed grief – ‘and fell to the ground and worshiped’ (Job 1:20). He felt deep sadness over his massive losses, and still he praised God. Job didn’t blame God, as sometimes we do. Instead, Job acknowledged God’s greatness, and grew closer to Him through his experience.
God wants us to grow closer to Him, too. How can we make this happen?
Trust Him and His infinite, never-ending goodness when you’re suffering. He will never abandon you. If you ask Him, He’ll give you strength you never thought you had to endure a trial you never thought you’d be able to endure. Ask Him to give you what you need, one step at a time, and watch Him work through your circumstances. Let your experiences strengthen your trust and faith in Him.
I invite you to follow a suggestion a dear friend once gave me: Find a quiet space, spend 10 minutes praising God, and then sit quietly and write down whatever ideas come to mind. No second-guessing or editing; just write whatever comes to mind. Those ideas may be Christ speaking to you.
Also, listen to what Christ may be saying to you today:
You tend to forget about Me when life is going as you want it to. You tend to take credit for all the goodness in your life. Remember that without Me, you would have none of this. Yet if you had none of this, you would still have Me.
I don’t expect you to rejoice in your sorrows, but remember that I am with you through all of them. Come close to Me and let Me show you, over time, all the good things that will come from these sorrows. Let me use them for your benefit. Let me prove My love to you, not through the richness of your life but through your hardships.
Even in times of pain and loss I am with you, to love you and strengthen you and bring you to a place of peace.
It’s easy to praise God when life is easy. Let’s praise Him when life gets difficult, too.
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!”
– Job 1:21
“Lord, I praise You for Your never-ending goodness .”
Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell Comments are always welcome!
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P.S.
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