I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord (Psalm 27: 13-14).
God’s goodness! It is easy to see God’s goodness in every day and pleasant things. When we look at our families, our homes, our jobs, etc. we tend to say, “God is so good.”
Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” As believers, we are promised that His goodness is always with us – through the good and the bad times. Therefore, we need to see His goodness in all things.
We can see His goodness in the very act of repentance. In fact, Romans 2:4 says the goodness of God leads us to repentance. II Corinthians 7:10 tells God does this through conviction of sins. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…” God could give up on us because of our sins. Because He is good, He gives us the opportunity to repent so those sins can be washed away.
We can see God’s goodness in His guidance. Pslam 30:21 points to His guidance: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it”. If we will listen, He will speak to our hears in various ways. Of course, the most obvious way He speaks is through the pages of our Bible which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
We can see His goodness in His correction. Hebrews 5:10 says God corrects us for our good so we can share in His holiness. Hebrews 5:11 says discipline doesn’t seem pleasant at the time but it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace. He corrects us because He is our Heavenly Father and He loves us. With Job we can truly say, “ Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
Is God good? Absolutely! He is good in all things and in all times. Psalm 107: 8, 15, 21 and 31 repeat this phrase: “Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for is wonderful works to the children of men.” Let us praise Him for His goodness.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 
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