Growing Together – Day 20: Goodness
READ: Acts 17:28 – “In Him we live and move and have our being.”
REFLECT: God’s goodness is expressed in so many ways: His preservation of creation, the ongoing government of creation, His guidance for us regarding what is good, His restraining the evil of a depraved humanity and a broken creation, His preserving in humanity a remnant of respect and esteem for goodness, and in opening people’s eyes and ears to the beauty of Christ. All of these are expressions of God’s ongoing goodness.
An old Puritan pastor, named Stephen Charnock, wrote (I’ve modernized some of the language), “All goodness delights to communicate itself; infinite goodness has then an infinite delight in expressing itself; it is a part of His goodness not to be weary of showing it; He can never, then, be weary of being asked for the outpouring of it; if He rejoices over His people to do them good, He will rejoice in any opportunities offered to Him to honor His goodness, and gladly meet with a fit subject for it; therefore He delights in our prayers…He loves to be asked, and loves to give vent to His bounty.” (Stephen Charnock, The Existence and Attributes of God, 1682)
I know that in this COVID-19 season we are all tempted toward fear, toward worry, and toward anger. Another old pastor and theologian, named Karl Barth, wrote this: “While the theologian (or really any Christian) reads the newspaper, he or she cannot forget that he has just read Isaiah 40 or John 1 or Romans 8…He or she cannot ignore that, along with all time, this present time moves toward a goal where all that is now hidden will be revealed.” (Karl Barth, Evangelical Theology, 1963)
Yesterday we prayed – God, draw me close. There is no better goodness than God Himself. That is still our best prayer.
But as we live in a world where God’s goodness may seem to us to be diverted by people, or events, or viruses, let’s dwell on some of His promises this weekend. And remember, that even when we can’t clearly see it – we live in His goodness, we breathe in His goodness, we exist…in His goodness.
PRAYER: Today let’s pray – God help me to see Your goodness.
READ: Take some time this weekend and read one or two of those passages that Barth listed – Isaiah 40, John 1, or Romans 8 - in light of current world events.