10/18/2022
We suffer the ailments and troubles of the world, but we will overcome them in this place with the help of our Lord God. He is good, and He will show us the vastness of His goodness if we are willing to wait upon Him. Do we believe? Do we believe with all our heart so that we can know without a doubt that He is with us, and that we will see His goodness here in the land of the living? David believed in this way, and his faith encourages us to do the same.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”
Psalm 27:13 ESV
Sometimes, when we are still, and the voice of the Lord is silent, we can become discouraged, and convinced that we will not see our Heavenly Father here. In such times we can give up in this world, and think we will only see Him in His kingdom that is to come, but His goodness abounds, and in it we will find Him present always. If we will reassure ourselves in our faith, and are determined to wait upon Him, we will find that He is here now, and His goodness has been with us all along.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalm 27:14 ESV
One day I was at little league football practice, and it was a particularly grueling workout. The fathers of many of the boys were standing on the sideline watching, and yelling encouragement to their sons, but I knew mine would not be there because he was at work, so I didn’t bother looking for him. Like I said, the practice was particularly hard that day, and as we performed tackling drills I became exhausted, and felt the crushing pain of each impact all the more.
Then, just as I was about to give up, I looked towards the sideline and saw my father standing there. He was a big man, and was standing apart from the others with his hands in his pockets. When he noticed me looking at him he smiled approvingly. That smile was all I needed. My father was a good man, and his smile was infectious, and replenished my strength… he had been there watching me all along, and his presence eased my pain, and allowed me to continue on with added strength. Our Heavenly Father is like this; He is there, even when we don’t see Him, and we think that we are suffering through our trials, and ordeals, alone.
“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
Psalm 103:13-14 ESV
So like David who believed he would see God in the land of the living, and like me, who doubted, and yet saw my father watching me from afar, we should know that God is with us always. He is there even in the moments of absolute silence, and when stillness falls over us like a shroud. He is actively watching, and reveling in our lives… even though we don’t see Him, and we believe we are alone. In all His goodness He is watching, loving us, and working all things for good in our lives.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your goodness and love that is who you are, and for being with us always. Thank you Lord for the times we see you, and feel you, but thank you more for our faith that allows us to hear you in the silence, and sense you in our souls when all is still. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is in heaven, and yet walks with us through our earthly valleys. Praised be your name for allowing us to see the leaves rustling as you move through the trees, to hear your whisper as silence allows the blood to roar in our ears, and to feel your touch as your garments brush gently against us. Merciful are you in your love, goodness, grace, kindness, and our redemption through your Son Jesus. Wash us each day in the blood of Christ, and thus make us perfect in Him. Judge us not for who we are in the world, but for who we have become in your Son Jesus, then seat us before you at your table, and call us your beloved children… pleasing to you forevermore.
Rich Forbes