By Rev. Landon Coleman
Pastor, Immanuel
When do you find yourself reflecting on the goodness of God? In what circumstances do you find yourself caught up in the goodness of God? The obvious church answer is “always.” Odds are you’ve say in a church and heard the preacher use these responsive words, “God is good (says the preacher). All the time (says the congregation). All the time (says the preacher). God is good (says the congregation).”
I certainly believe that God is always good. However, I also know that in certain situations I’m more likely to reflect on the goodness of God, while in other situations I’m more likely to reflect on myself. Here’s what I mean … I’m prone to think about the goodness of God when I enjoy sweet moments with my family. I’m prone to think about the goodness of God when I experience the presence of God in worship. I’m prone to think about the goodness of God when I receive an unexpected blessing. I’m prone to think about the goodness of God when I take in the beauty of God’s creation.
Those situations are all good times to reflect on the goodness of God. There’s just one problem … Most of my life doesn’t consist of those situations. In fact, much of my life involves circumstances and situations that could be described as mundane, frustrating, painful, discouraging, stressful, and disappointing. What about these moments? If I really believe God is always good, why don’t I naturally reflect on the goodness of God when life isn’t what I want it to be?
The problem is me, and the problem is you. We all tend to suffer from theological amnesia in life’s worse moments. The Bible says sin is a reality in our lives, and sin has a way of shrinking life down to the size of your life. Sin causes us all to turn inward in moments of frustration and pain and stress. Sin leads us to focus on ourselves and our circumstances instead of God who never changes.
These moments — the ones when you don’t naturally reflect on the goodness of God — are the moments you desperately need to remember that God is always good. If your heart doesn’t naturally turn to the goodness of God, you must develop the habit of preaching to yourself in moments of crisis. The prophet Jeremiah shows us how to do this very thing.
Jeremiah preached to himself. Go back and read Lamentations. Consider the horrendous circumstances of Jerusalem under siege, and hear Jeremiah preach these words to himself, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness … The LORD is good to those who wait for him.” (Lamentations 3:22-25)
When life takes you by surprise in a good way, you’ll naturally find yourself rejoicing in the goodness of God. That’s a great thing! Talk about the goodness of God with your family! Post about the goodness of God on social media! God certainly is good in the best moments of life! Just remember, when life takes a turn for the worse, God is still good. His love never ceases. His mercies never end. He is faithful. He is good. These are the truths you need to walk through the dark moments of life. So when they don’t naturally come rushing into your mind, preach these truths to yourself, and remind yourself that God is always good.
