“The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalm 145:9)

It’s easy to praise the Lord when things are going the way we think they should. When a friend shares a

good report on a prayer request, we immediately thank God for His goodness and faithfulness. When we

find ourselves overcome by the beauty of His creation or the blessings all around us, we praise the Lord

for His goodness and grace!

But what about when we are blindsided, discouraged or completely devastated by our circumstances?

That’s often when fear and anxiety begin to crowd our thoughts, doubt starts to settle in, and we

struggle to see how God could possibly redeem our situation. We may cry out to God in our weakness

yet find our circumstances unchanging. Does this mean that God is uncaring or unkind?

In moments like these, we can choose to trust the Lord in His great wisdom, or we can struggle to find

peace in His goodness, believing instead that we know what’s best for us or that He is “holding out on

us.”

In her book In His Image, Jen Wilkin accurately writes, “But let us marvel that even in our rebellious

state, God’s goodness endures toward us in a thousand circumstances… He grants us, on the whole,

more days of joy than of sorrow, though our darkened hearts are more apt to curse him for the hard

times than to bless him for the happy ones.” (p. 49) Do you find that this is often true of you? Thankfully,

God has given us a glimpse of His good character in Scripture:

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

(Psalm 100:5)

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

(Nahum 1:7)

“…The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21b)

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,” (Genesis 50:20a)

“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)

Friends, what a treasure we have in His Word! When we meditate on these truths and hide them in our

hearts, the Holy Spirit will bring them to mind when troubles come or doubts arise. He will help us to be

joyful always and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:16), as we trust in His great goodness and

love!

By Jessica Fox

Jessica is an early childhood teacher and pastor’s wife. She and her husband Travis have been married 23

years and attend IBC at Armstrong Mill with their children, Kaleb, Journey, and Sadie.