A cause for praise

Psalm 92  The goodness and faithfulness of God.

Life has many twists and turns, and the circumstances around us change with the wind. The one thing that maintains stability in life is God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

This Psalm emphasises the goodness of God. Many other superlatives honour God, but let this one be a blessing today. In the midst of many evil forces, God remains consistent, He remains trustworthy, He remains just, He is good.

His goodness is not some bland, abstract idea. His goodness is an active attitude that is seen in action.

An example of God’s goodness is His reaction to the human condition of offensiveness and rebellion. God has interrupted the course of time with the birth of Jesus. The angels sang praise that God was implementing His peace plan:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will toward man.” (Luke 2.14)

It remains true today as it did then, that peace is available when Jesus Christ is received as the Lord from heaven, the Saviour of all who repent. (After more than sixty years of observing world events, I have concluded that all wars would cease, all poverty would vanish, all lack of education would be conquered if all the world received Jesus Christ as Lord. So much human distress is the result religions that reject the Lord Jesus Christ. All the humanitarian efforts to make the world a better place to live in are futile if Jesus Christ is rejected.)

God went further than sending His Son. He gave Him up to remedy the problem of sin. The Cross is the ultimate expression of God’s goodness, love, mercy and grace. God’s goodness is further evidenced in that He does not compel people to believe. To the people of the world His love has granted ‘free will’. Sadly many choose not to believe in Jesus the Son of God, with the unavoidable consequences of suffering , separation, sorrow and shame. But for those who choose to receive Christ, God’s goodness is abundant with forgiveness, joy, peace, hope and love.

The Psalm that has thrilled my soul today, was not written in the context of everything being rich and rosy – no, most of the praise to God comes from believers in times of difficulty. This is when the focus turns from self sufficiency , to trust in a God who is greater than ourselves and our circumstances. He is a God who can be trusted as good. I well remember the time when I lost almost everything. The challenge was – could I say ‘God is good’ when everything seemed bad. It was not feelings or circumstances that enabled me to answer ‘yes’. It was only faith that enabled me to say “God is good”

A little like Job, faith would say “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!” ( Job 13.15)

So let our days  be filled with praise:

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord

To sing praises to the most high”

johnmckee@internode.on.net