Happy God-is-good-all-the-time-Saturday, friends!
I so often see and hear “God is good” from people who have just experienced a blessing of some kind.
It’s true!
And I never want us to think otherwise.
There are also times that are hard—really hard—when we can’t so easily see the blessings.
God is still good in those times.
And I want us to say so.
This past week has been one of the former times for Mrs. Sweetie and me.
After a wonderful Sunday at church, made especially meaningful by our oldest grandson’s baptism, we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary Monday through Thursday with a family vacation to Carlsbad Caverns.
To have all our kids and grands together exploring, eating, swimming, putt-putting, playing, laughing …
God has so very obviously been good to us!
It’s easy this week to—in the words of today’s hymn text—rejoice, give thanks, and sing!
But not every week is that way.
Some families spent this week at the bedside of a seriously ill loved one.
Some families lost a loved one.
Some are struggling financially and couldn’t even begin to think about a vacation.
Some are dealing with strained and broken relationships.
And I want to say to those families, God is still good.
Easy for you to say, Dr. G!
Not always.
Every week is not like the most recent one.
I’ve seen the goodness of God in the hardest times—both in my life and in the lives of others whose faith I have observed in their own difficulties.
As I consider that reality I’m reminded of Psalm 23:4 –
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for YOU ARE WITH ME“ (emphasis mine).
There are no guarantees that we’ll come through the valley unscathed—or even that we’ll make it out alive.
The goodness of God is most revealed in His presence—His with-ness.
And that—unsurprisingly—reminds me of a song.
He’s good all the time.
All the time, He’s good.
Hang onto that and be amazing today, my friend.
