I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13
I remember going through a season of difficulty and crying out, “God, I just need You to show up in my life.” This went on for a while and yet God still felt so distant to me. I remember one evening feeling discouraged that yet again, God hadn’t shown up. But then, just as I drifted off to sleep, the Lord reminded me of several things that had happened that week. Clear out of the blue, two people I least expected to hear from, reached out to speak a word of encouragement to me. Also, a situation I had been praying about for a long time had suddenly been resolved. As I remembered these things, I heard the Lord say, “THAT WAS ME!” I couldn’t believe I missed seeing God when He was there all along. It made me wonder just how many other times I hadn’t seen how present God had been in my life.
In Exodus 33:18-19, Moses cries out to the Lord in desperation. “Show me Your glory, Lord.” He just needed God to show up, so he asked to see God’s glory; His power. And God responds, “I will make my goodness pass before you.” God often reveals His glory (His power) by displaying His goodness (His nature) to us. God’s glory and goodness go hand-in-hand because seeing God’s goodness increases our expectation and ability to experience His glory in a greater way.
So often we look for God to “show up” in some dramatic way, missing the goodness He’s pouring upon our lives day by day – moment by moment even. God is always there sustaining us, providing for us, and working out His good and perfect plan for our lives. All we have to do is look for Him, and we’ll see the evidence of His goodness all around us.
Every day I pray the following prayer over my kids: “Lord reveal yourself to my kids today. Let them see you in every moment of their lives. Show them your goodness through every situation they encounter.” We all need to see God’s goodness
“God is good,” is more than a catchphrase of “Churchianity.” It’s who God is and He loves nothing more than to reveal His nature to us. The question is, “Are we looking for Him?” Sometimes we’re looking in the wrong place, for the wrong thing or maybe not even looking at all. Maybe we’ve placed God in a box, limiting Him by our own expectations of how He should act or move in our lives.
One of the greatest ways God expresses His goodness is through other people. I once heard someone say that we have the ability to be “God in skin” to someone. It takes a special kind of person to show the goodness of God to others and it’s not only beautiful to experience this, but to also be that expression to someone else. This is why the enemy tries to isolate and drive wedges between us. We shortchange ourselves and others when we don’t open ourselves up to the relationships God brings into our lives. Some of the most beautiful expressions of God’s goodness in my life have come through people who chose to be a selfless expression of God to me.
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – Hebrews 13:16
God also shows His goodness through His provision. We can all complain about a need we have, but the truth is, that God has sustained us. He hasn’t left or forsaken us. Sometimes His provision has come at the midnight hour, but He’s shown up when it counted. Just as God used the ravens to feed Elijah, He makes a way for us where there seems no way. As the good and perfect Father He is, He continually takes care of us, His children.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! – Matthew 7:11
I want to encourage you to begin to look for God with fresh eyes. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you God’s goodness in your life each day so you don’t miss Him. Cry out for God like Moses did and watch for Him to reveal His glory and goodness to you in a powerful way.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:6
