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The Things We Say

Happy Labour Day out there!

So...I have been ruminating about a lot lately. There is so much fodder in my life for a good blog that I often have no clue where to begin. I recognize that it has been a while...In fact, I was reminded of that just yesterday (I'm looking at you Ms. "Uplifting Souls"). So here goes...

A few days ago, I was in a meeting with some of the saints and one person was giving a praise report. She had gotten some positive news about a medical diagnostic test that she had recently undergone. She ended by saying in essence that she knew that God was good to her because of her clean bill of health.

I wanted to rejoice with her. I did. But the first thing the Holy Spirit brought to my mind was this one question: "So if the result was negative would God's goodness cease?"

I'm sure if I had asked her that, her answer would be a resounding NO. I'm almost positive that she didn't mean her statement like it sounded. She couldn't have meant to place conditions on the goodness of Almighty God, but that is exactly what her statement implied.

So, I began to reflect on all the times in my life where my actions and my despair about negative circumstances in my life effectively communicated that I no longer believed in God's goodness. Indeed, many of us in Christendom hang God's goodness on the circumstances of our lives.

If we are in ill health, or un(der)employed, or dealing with difficult family situations, then suddenly God is no longer good. Yet the Psalms are full of reminders of God's goodness (see Ps. 86:5; 100:5; 107:1; 136:1, etc.). Never once are we given a caveat. Never once are conditions placed on His goodness. God is good. Period. End of discussion.

The inconvenient thing is to truly embrace that fact and believe it wholeheartedly. Of course, God is good when money is flowing and health is great. But even if our health is failing, isn't God good? Even if we don't have two pennies to rub together, isn't God good?  Even if everything in our lives is falling to little pieces and turning to ash and it seems like trouble is coming from all sides (see Job 1 and 2), isn't Almighty God still good?

And if He is still good despite all of that, then is He not worthy of praise?

Father help us to realise that Your goodness is not contingent upon our circumstances and praise you through the pain. Amen.

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