Journal Entry ~ 01/05/19

13 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord. NASB 

Every generation of believers learns this truth eventually - God is good, and He wants us to know it.  His goodness flows to us as steadfast love and faithfulness, and it is present in everything He does.  There are days we may question His goodness because life's circumstances can be overwhelming at times. But we can rest assured knowing this truth: if He wasn't going to use that hard thing in our lives for our good, it wouldn’t have happened. He has to sign off on every single thing that touches our lives. He’s sovereign over all.  If God lets something happen, He is going to use it for good. He’s not the cause of evil, but He does allow it to enter our lives for a purpose. 

I think this is one of the hardest concepts to grasp as a believer in Christ. People struggling through hardships often ask the question, If God is a loving God, why does He allow suffering in this world?  Why does He allow so much pain into my life if He loves me?

His love is not a pampering love, His love is a perfecting love. He’s not after our happiness or our comfort, He’s after our true joy. His goal is not that we would love an easier life, His goal is that we would live a life that honors and worships Him.  When we surrender our lives to Him, He begins the painful process of chastening so that we grow to be more and more like Him - more loving, more compassionate, more forgiving, more joyful, more patient, more gentle, more humble, more faithful, more self controlled. More of putting the other person’s needs over our own, more of a life focused on Him than on us, more Strength, more Hope, more Peace. 

Not one thing in that list comes from life being easy. Nope. If you’ve grown in any of those areas, then you know it’s the hardships you’ve endured that has made you more forgiving and understanding of other’s challenges, it’s the trials you’ve walked through that has made you more humble and patient, it’s the heartbreak that you’ve known that has brought Strength and Peace into your life. Learning to let go and allow God to have His way over our way produces a life full of the Hope found in this verse. 

The goodness of the Lord is coming. Don’t despair. Just keep your eyes fixed on His plan and not on your own. Take courage and trust. We need not fear.  He is doing a good thing. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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