He Is Good!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8-10 ESV).

One of my favorite worship songs is “King of My Heart.” I especially enjoy Sarah McMillan’s performance (you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpqSbKYxd9Y). Spend a few minutes today and listen to it at the web address I’ve listed for you. I often need to be reminded that God is good. He is infinitely, unchangingly kind and full of good will. This is what Daivid meant as he penned our reading today: “…taste and see that the Lord is good” (v. 8). According to Tozer, the goodness of God “disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing attitude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.” Just like his other attributes, God’s goodness exists within his immutability, and infinite nature, so that he is unchangingly, always good. His mercy flows from his goodness. In his goodness to us, we see that He has purposed to be good in a special way to his people.” As with God’s other perfect attributes, we find it easier to affirm the goodness of God when things are going well. When life takes a turn and circumstances force us to struggle through our journey it is easy to begin to question God’s goodness to and for us. We’ve all had those moments. It may have been little more than a momentary inconvenience, or the devastating experience of grief at the death of a loved one. Regardless the pain of such times can be overwhelming. It is then that we must remember this foundational principle that God IS good! When the Psalmist writes “O, taste and see that the Lord is good,” (v. 8) he is inviting us not just to believe that God is good but to experience God’s goodness. And, interestingly, as Andrew Wilson notes in his article on the subject, “The psalmist affirms his experience of God’s goodness from a place of suffering. In verse 19, he makes the remarkable announcement, ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous.’ Even with a good God, who is sovereign over everything and has the power to do whatever he likes, good people still suffer.” The greatest declaration comes a bit later in the psalm though. David goes on to write that “Yahweh delivers him out of them all.” Evil happens, but “none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (v. 22). As difficult as it may be to endure your circumstance, rest assured it will work to your good, because God is indeed good!