DAY FIVE || We will see His goodness.
"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the Living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Psalms 27:4-14
God’s goodness surrounds us even when we don’t see it. What we believe about God determines what we see in every season of our lives. For many years, I lacked the ability to see “God’s goodness” in areas of my life because I doubted His nature. My heart wrestled with questions. “God, are You really for me? Are Your promises really true?” “Are You really good?” Hindsight is 20/20 and when I look back now, I am overwhelmed by the goodness of God that I see. I see where His goodness showed up in my life time and time again.
As a result, I am confident in God’s goodness no matter the circumstance. The history of His faithfulness has taught me to look for His goodness in every season, long before I see it. I am obviously writing this devotional on the other side of hard seasons. I know how they turned out. But some of you reading this devotional are still in the BEFORE of your story. You’re wondering, “How do you remain confident that God’s goodness will show up in your life when things still aren’t good?
How do you believe God’s goodness will show up, when you’ve been waiting for years to see a promise fulfilled or a situation change and it still hasn’t happened?”
In Psalms 27, we get to see how David remained confident that he would see the goodness of God in his life, in the midst of terrible things. Right from the top of the verse, David declares his confidence is in the Lord. The Lord is his light and salvation. He doesn’t fear his enemies or situation because he knows the Lord is his protector. And let’s just talk about the situation he was in. He was in the middle of a war and surrounded by his enemies. People had betrayed him and his character had been attacked. He felt alone and abandoned. His circumstances did not look good. When things weren’t good, this is what David did to remain confident in God’s goodness and what I believe we must do as well…
HE SPENT TIME IN GODS PRESENCE
In verse 27:4 David says, “I have asked one thing from the Lord, This I will seek: to remain in the Lord’s house all the days of my life in order to gaze at the Lord’s beauty and to search for answers in his temple.” David understood the power of God’s presence. He knew that getting alone with God would change his perspective and bring the answers that he needed in a really difficult time. Even if those answers didn’t immediately solve his situation, He knew God’s presence held the answers of peace, hope, joy, and strength for his heart and mind in the midst of the situation.
HE LOOKED AT GOD
When you are in God’s presence, it’s much easier to put your focus on Him instead of your problems. When you look to Jesus, you realize His truth is greater than what is true. Because it might be true that you are walking through a divorce, death, sickness, financial ruin, betrayal or unanswered prayers. However, God’s word holds a greater truth that can hold us during those difficult circumstances. His truth is that you are not alone, you are an overcomer, He is your healer, redeemer and provider. His plans are good for you, He will return what the locust stole and He will finish what He has started. What you focus on will become your focus. So keep your heart and mind focused on Christ, He is your help and the lifter of your head in times of trouble!
HE PRAISED GOD
When we begin to focus on God instead of our situation, thanksgiving and praise naturally begin to flow out. Psalms 27: 6, “And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.” When we’ve experienced God lift us up out of our pits, we can’t help but praise Him. As we praise Him, our vision becomes 20/20 and we can clearly see His faithfulness, power and goodness. Our hearts also become tender to hear God speak to us. This often leads to repentance and realignment of our hearts. David said in vs.11, “Teach me your ways, O Lord.” The tenderness of his heart was a result of being in God’s presence and praising Him. It’s here that we take on the mind of Christ. It’s here that we begin to believe.
HE WAITED WITH COURAGE
Which leads us to David’s declaration here in Psalms 27, “I am confident I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living." He BELIEVED, therefore he could SEE. We have to know the nature of God in order to believe that He is good. Once you believe He is good, you can begin to look for His goodness in every situation of your life. Goodness isn’t always wrapped in something good. It often comes in the middle of heartache and hardship. Which is why it takes courage to believe, especially when you are waiting or hurting. Focusing on God’s word will build CONFIDENCE in your heart and mind that He will do what He promised. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb 11:1)
I want this kind of faith. The kind of faith that believes before I see and waits with courage. I want to know that in every season I am confident that God’s goodness surrounds me and my situation. I want to be able to say that I see God’s goodness more than I see what isn’t good. I want faith like Caleb and Joshua. When they went to spy in Canaan, the promised land, they came back and declared to the community of Israel that the land they saw was GOOD. Yes, there were giants, enemies and obstacles in the land, but there was also milk and honey. They weren’t afraid of the problems they saw because they knew the Lord was with them.
I want faith like Abraham, that was accredited to him as righteousness. He believed he would have a son before He saw it happen because God told him he would. The truth was neither his or his wife’s body were able to conceive, but his God was more than able to do something good in Abraham’s impossible situation. I want faith like Mary that chose to believe that God was still good to her even when she found herself as an unwed mother facing judgement and shame. She knew carrying the hope of the world inside herself was enough good to overcome what wasn’t “good” in the natural. And just like these heroes of faith, I want to be able to say I believed God’s promise, therefore, I saw the goodness of God in the land of the living!
GOD PROMISES TO REMEMBER
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth 3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 107:8-9
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men. For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.