The Lord is an amazing and generous provider for all of us! The scripture tells us we have everything we need for life and godliness. Every provision comes from Him. We would not be able to know Him, have a family, hold a job, get an education, or work hard if it wasn’t for his provision of life, faith, health, opportunities, and talents.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!?How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; Psalm 139:17-18b
If you have ever tried counting sand in the palm of your hand, you know how futile it is doing it. The scripture tells us that God’s thoughts towards us outnumber the grains of sand. The goodness of God causes Him to think about everything we need to ensure we walk successfully on this earth.
When my son was getting ready to go college six months ago, we made sure he had everything he needed for going to a new school and staying in the dorm. Our concern didn’t end with what classes he was going to take and what textbooks he needed. We had a long list of everything he needed for school: bedding, pillow, sheets, socks, and even soap and toothpaste. We did not leave out any detail! Our desire was to provide everything he needed, so he can feel settled in his new place.
Most of us will go to great lengths to provide for the needs’ of our children. If our thoughts and our prayers are so many for our children, how much more are God’s thoughts towards us?
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Luke 11:11
If we ever struggle with God’s goodness towards us, the above scripture is a great reminder of how much God loves his children. For those of us who are parents, we know how excited we are to give good gifts to our children. When our children ask us for something, we cheerfully want to give them what we are capable of. There is no hesitation in our hearts. We’re not trying to give them something inferior. If they ask us for food, we will ensure we’re getting them good and nutritious food. We wouldn’t give them something that would make them sick, or it’s really bad for them.
How is it that we as imperfect people are desiring to give good gifts to our children, but we don’t believe that God desires to bring good into our lives? It’s our heavenly father who put that kind of love in our hearts in the first place. Let’s thank Him for His amazing love and goodness!!
Finally, His goodness caused him to be merciful and provide salvation for humanity. As sinners, we deserved his judgment and condemnation, but instead He opened the door for reconciliation through Jesus and His blood shed for us. Praise God for His redemptive work on our behalf. He didn’t have to do it, but He did it out of His loving kindness and His goodness towards us.
It is time to allow God to shatter the old ideas and pictures of him and let Him redefine himself to us. The Lord intends to be involved in all the details of our lives. He’s not involved, so he can be a taskmaster. He is not here to bring a sense of danger or impending doom. He desires to give us security and comfort. He has given us the Holy Spirit, so we can have continual help in our lives. Praise God!
Lord if we have any faulty views of you, please change us. Some of us think of you as a hard taskmaster, so we live our lives to please you through performance. Others of us think that unless we are suffering, we must not be very spiritual. Your love and your goodness are far richer and deeper than our ideas of you. Lord, today we want to embrace all of you. Thank you for taking interest in our lives and being committed to us through the end of the age. Thank you for your goodness. We love you Lord.
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