Start Seeing God’s Goodness

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I was driving home from work one day when I happened to see the bumper sticker of the car ahead of me, a very common yellow sticker which had an image of a motorcyclist with the words, “Start seeing motorcyclists”. I then was immediately thinking, “Start seeing God’s goodness”, with an image of Christ on the cross.  One thing I often struggle with is seeing God as good. I know intellectually that he is, though often when facing life’s trials and struggles I am faced with feelings of resentment and anger toward God.  “If you are so good God, then why is this happening?”  Why is it we are so quick to accuse God of malicious intent or indifference?  What is it about ourselves that reacts so negatively to life’s pressures when they come?  Selfishness, at least that is what I have experienced in my own life.  We get to feeling like we deserve something from God and when we don’t get what we want or what we think we need we have a childish fit, diving into self-pity and anger.  Something I am reminded of that my Uncle used to say is, “If we all got what we deserved we would all be in Hell.”  How true are those words.  The only thing we deserve is the wrath of God, but it was because of his great love for us that he so graciously sent his Son, Jesus Christ to take that wrath upon himself in our stead.  What trial or struggle can compare to what Christ endured for us?

As Christians there are a few things to remember when facing trials, even ones that seem hopeless.

1. There are consequences for sin, though the eternal consequences have been removed we must still face consequences for our choices and actions here on earth.  If there is habitual sin in your life or if there was a sin committed that had serious consequences, repent and turn from your sin. God will give you the grace you need to endure the consequences if you are walking with him, though he may not take them away.  Take the sin of King David for example, when he lusted after Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife.  He then took her and committed physical adultery with her, conceiving a child.  While attempting to cover it up and failing he resorts to having Uriah murdered  and takes Bathsheba as his wife. Consequences for his actions were severe including a severely broken family.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. – James 1:14-15

Read about the rebellion of David’s son Absalom in 2 Samuel 13-19.  2 Samuel 12:10-12 records the judgement pronounced by God on David and his family because of his sin.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'”

Psalm 51 records David’s confession of his sin and his restoration to fellowship with God.  Though David was forgiven and was restored those consequences remained, though God gave him the strength to overcome while he was walking with Him.  That account stands as a warning to those of us about to enter into sin and as a road map to forgiveness and restoration.  The one thing that amazes me after reading this account is that despite David’s shortcomings God still says of him, “A man after my own heart.”

2. If you are a believer God will work good for you through your circumstances and he will give you what you need to endure or accomplish good works.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. – 2 Corinthians 9:8 (The context of this verse is talking about giving, but I believe it can apply. 2 Corinthians 9:7-9 for context.)

3. Remember to be joyful and thankful for the trials you face, because through them you will be better for it, both for yourself and for others.  Again I say that God will give you what you need to face the trials if you are walking with him and ask him in faith believing he will give it,  for the one who doubts God (his goodness and graciousness) is unstable, he is double-minded.  He doesn’t know where he is going or what will happen.

“The undecided man is also like a wave of the sea, unstable. Yonder great wave seems to form a pyramid—look how it
towers aloft! It is a wonderful sight, but while you are admiring it, it is gone. It was only made of water and it has disappeared into its own element. So are there some people who appear to be excellent and admirable, but they are undecided
and their goodness is as the morning cloud and as the early dew—it soon passes away.
They are also uncertain. That wave that is rolling away yonder, where will it end? Will it sweep across the Atlantic
till it reaches the shore of America? Look, there comes a north wind and it turns towards the icebergs! But another wind
blows and now the wave is rolling towards the coast of England. It is in a perpetual whirl, just as the winds happen to
drive it—and we have many people of that uncertain kind—’driven with the wind and tossed.'” – C. H. Spurgeon.

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Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. – James 1:2-8

References:

All scripture is taken from biblegateway.com -ESV.

C.H. Spurgeon quote taken from http://spurgeongems.org/vols43-45/chs2537.pdf  – Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon #2537 A WARNING TO WAVERERS.  Adapted from The C. H. Spurgeon Collection, Ages Software, 1.800.297.4307