Let’s be real – it’s hard to understand and believe God is good sometimes when we simply look around at the hard stuff going on all around us. Last week I met two ladies who had lost their only children. Turn the news on and you’ll hear of a missing student from Iowa. I’m pretty sure if you stopped to think about it you have at least one close or distant family member who has experienced a profound loss of some kind this year. If not I’m so glad for you. But friend you will experience hardship in this lifetime. And you may find yourself in a position of questioning God’s goodness. Your belief in God’s faithfulness and goodness now will help guide your grief in future losses.
Our belief and trust in God’s goodness along with his sovereignty is foundational when we are walking through a major life crisis. Because think about it, if we don’t believe God is 100% good then there is no comfort in his nearness when something horrific happens like premature death. I’d almost rather think he wasn’t near than to be near when something tragic happens unless God is truly good and perfect in all his ways. And friends, our God really is good and perfect in all his ways.
Our God is a God who loves to help us believe in him. It’s okay to ask God to help us believe when we don’t feel that what he’s doing could possibly bring any glory to him or have any good come out of it. In addition to his goodness he is faithful and true to his every word. We can trust him. If you are doubting God’s goodness ask him to help you trust his goodness. I can promise you he will reveal his goodness to you somehow someway.
Believing God is good when facing our worst nightmare is much easier to talk about than to walk about. At the time of this article I’m on this side of the computer with my children safely tucked in bed. My husband is healthy and I am well loved. It’s easy for me to talk about the nearness and goodness of God when I’m not in the thick of tragedy…..like when my Father was diagnosed with a terminal illness and then when he died. When we struggled with infertility and had a miscarriage. When I went though my 8th surgery and when our families went through hard stuff. Walking about God’s goodness during those times still meant a lot of crying. A lot of questions and confusion but a solid trust that there was still hope even in the face of tragedy.
Everyone’s grief and pain is individual and different. But God’s comfort is there for us all when we run to him for refuge. His nearness is good. I long to be running towards his refuge daily like my life depended on it…..because it does.
The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10
In our deepest sorrows and in our highest of highs let’s ask God for help in running to him. In making him our refuge and trusting that his nearness has always been there and that he is through and through good.
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