God is Good!
Psalm 18:19: “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.”
A friend of mine came by my office last week, and immediately when our eyes met, I knew he was grieving. Through tears, he told me that his son (whom we had been praying earnestly for) had succumbed to brain cancer. His was an unnatural sorrow, because parents are not supposed to out live their children. I embraced him with a hug; it was all I could do. A hurt like that can not be healed with hollow sounding clichés, or well meaning words, no matter who says them. Only God can bring comfort into a broken and grieving heart.
We all struggle with the hard questions of life. Why did God not answer the prayer to heal my friend’s son? Actually, He did! Yes, from an eternal perspective, God healed him permanently. He took him on to heaven, and he will never again suffer. There are worse things than dying. To continue to live in a state of constant pain and suffering is not real life. In God’s mercy and grace, He chose the best option. Now my friend will not see his son again in this life, but ultimately, he could not have wished anything better for his son than to know that he is in God’s presence. So actually, it was a win-win situation. Such is the case with every other sadness or sorrow that we could ever face, God can and will bring good from everything if we are trusting in Him. The problem is that we don’t always see that. We don’t have the privilege of seeing as God does. We must look through the eyes of faith. Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
A caterpillar crawls onto a limb and spins a cocoon around itself. Hidden from site, it goes through a unique struggling process known as metamorphosis. It is a transformation process known only to God, the Creator. It emerges from its darkened shroud as a beautiful butterfly.
When we are tempted to question why, we must remember that God is not finished with us yet. As humans, we are content to be like the caterpillar, we just want to live and eat and do our own thing. However, we must remember that we were created for God and His purposes. He has a plan and the end results will be beautiful. It will require that we go through a transformation process. We must never think of ourselves as ugly, useless, or unimportant. We are a part of God’s creation and handiwork. We are part of the same creative force that made the earth and seas, the moon and stars, and the sun and the galaxies. In the hands of such a masterful creator, we have no reason to doubt that our finished product will not be just as beautiful as the butterfly.
The more we know of God and His ways, the less we will fear and worry about the transformation process we are all going through. And we can know more of God by looking into His word. As we study and learn more of God, His word will light and direct our paths. If we only occasionally look into His word it will only be a flickering light at best and we will be subject to stumbling off the path God has planned for us. How you use or don’t use your bible will have a profound impact on your life. Psalm 73:24: “You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.”
The bible addresses all human needs and concerns. It is the very heart of God for all of mankind and it is more powerful than any of our urgent needs. It will encourage you and bring you peace and comfort no matter what happens in your life because God literally speaks to us through His word. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28)
God’s word is full of promise, provision, and protection. “Remember Your Word to Your servant, for You have given me hope. Your Word has given me new life. This is my comfort in my suffering” Psalms 119:49-50.
No matter what situation or problem we might be facing, we can find wisdom and direction for dealing with it in the bible. If we are frustrated, worried, or anxious, we can find resolution in God’s word. Why would anybody not want to follow the source of wisdom that has never failed? As God’s children we can place our hand in His, we can put our hope in His great love for us, and we can have peace in knowing that His every intention for us is good all the time!
Friends, are you experiencing God’s goodness? I am not asking you if everything is going good for you, because God’s goodness sometimes comes disguised as suffering and hardship. Trial, tribulation, and struggle, are all part of God’s transformation process in making us beautiful, like the butterfly. Are you faithfully and persistently praying and trusting God to bring good from your struggles? He can and will if you allow Him to. God is looking for people to reward for their faith in Him. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)
A lady from Arlington, Texas e-mailed me week before last with a prayer request for a 6th grader who was having surgery to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland. The doctors thought it would be cancerous. Many people prayed for this situation and after surgery the doctors reported that the surgery was successful and the tumor was benign. Praise God! Ms. Tami emailed me again last Monday with those wonderful results. I told her that it was another confirmation that God hears and answers the prayers of His people, and that prayer only fails when we fail to pray, because God is good all the time! She responded back with, “And all the time, God is good!”
“Father Lord, You are great, and You are good. Let us never doubt this in the midst of our struggles. Give us enduring faith in Your word and promises, and may we find comfort in knowing that our suffering will produce an eternal glory. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.”
In His service,
James Harrison
