Another really encouraging aspect that I love to proclaim in prayer is God's goodness. Different theologians when speaking of the trustworthiness of God have stated that trustng God is like sitting on a three legged stool. The three legs are His infinite power, His infinite wisdom and His infinite love. Because I worship a God who is infinitely powerful and wise I can trust Him. The fact that He is infinitely loving allows me to delight in trusting Him.
Everything that comes to me is from God's hands and is a product of His love, because of that I can view all of life's circumstances in light of His goodness. Life isn't dictated by chance or some celestial unknown. Instead, it is all given to me by my Heavenly Father who gives every good and perfect gift. I can come before Him with confidence because if my earthly father knows how to give good gifts, then how much more does my heavenly Father.
"All that emanates from God—His decrees, His creation, His laws, His providences—cannot be otherwise than good." (A.W. Pink)
If we believe and trust Scripture that God's goodness and love never ceases (Psalm 52:1 and Psalm 136), then we will be the happiest of all people. What better example is there for this then Job. In the test of losing everything, Job confidently proclaimed that even though God slayed him, he would still trust in God (Job 13:15). In the midst of trial Job knew the nature of God and could confidently praise God's name.
God cannot change and His nature is always the same. If God's nature is to do us good, then we can have faith that no matter what our eyes see, God is doing us good. In Psalm 23 when David says that he shall not want and his cup overflows, it's not because of his circumstance, but it is because God is his shepherd and always with him. The benefit of God being our shepherd and His eternal presence is that mercy and goodness will always be with us.
My greatest confidence in God's goodness comes from the cross. If God would send His holy and pure Son to bear my sin on the cross, to die a most humiliating death on the cross taking on my lust, greed, anger, pride, idolatry, blasphemy and countless other sins so that I can wear His righteousness then how can I doubt His goodness. At the cross where the Son bore the Father's wrath so I may be a recipient of the Father's love more goodness is bestowed onto me then I could ever deserve. When I come before the cross I realize that God has shown me more good then I could ever imagine or ask for. When I pray in light of this realization I can know that God will never fail to do me good.
The goodness of God is the life of the believer’s trust. It is this excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His goodness endureth forever, we ought never to be discouraged: "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7). (A.W. Pink).
Part 2 of 3...Coming when I get back from a weekend retreat God's faithfulness
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