Scripture: “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” – Psalm 100:5
Examination: This beautiful psalm of praise to God is only five verses long, but it is full of phrases of worship and adoration to the Lord! It ends with the joyous proclamation of God being so good and the eternality of His mercy and truth!
Application: My mom grew up in a small town in Japan. Only a small group of hills separated her town from the bustling city of Hiroshima. She was 17 years old on August 6, 1945, and vividly remembered a blinding flash of light, the intensely forceful blast of hot air, and the enormous mushroom cloud rising in the sky. The devastation was beyond belief; destruction was complete, but my mom and her family were among the survivors of the first atomic bombing the earth had known.
Today there is a lot of controversy about whether this was a good act or a bad one, but whether good or bad, it was a very horrific event. Chaos and uncertainty were everywhere; people at ground zero were simply vaporized, while others were slowly dying from the radiation and injuries incurred from the explosion. Friends and family members went missing, and tomorrow was not guaranteed.
Why would God allow something like this to happen? I cannot begin to know the mind of God, but I do know that He is good all the time, and all the time He is good. Psalm 52:1 says, “…the goodness of God endureth continually.” God never promises that everything that happens in the lives of His children will be good, but He does promise to make all things good. Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Trusting God in the dark times is not easy, but He asks us to do just that. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5).
God’s ways are so much higher than my own; I am not privy to the reasons that God acts in the ways that He does. I am not the Creator, merely His creation, but He has given me His Word to help me understand what I need to understand when I need to understand it. Here are three very important reasons the Bible provides as to why God allows difficult times to cross our paths:
- To strengthen our faith – “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” – 1 Peter 1:7
- To give us hope – “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:” – Romans 5:3-4
- To know the power of God – “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
There are many more reasons that God allows us to experience struggles in this life. When I pray and pray, but God doesn’t respond as I would like, I have to remember Nahum 1:7. “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” He is ever faithful, ever loving, and I definitely can trust Him for every outcome of every situation in my life.
By the way, my mom endured years of a chronic illness that her doctor felt was an aftereffect of radiation exposure. That was definitely a challenge for her, but there was good that came of it. 48 years after WWII ended, my mother met her best friend. In 1992, she put her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Saviour! A year later, she met Him face to face! Truly, the Lord is good and doeth good! (Psalm 119:68).
Memory Verse: “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” – Psalm 145:9
Life can be so good, life can be so hard
Never knowing what each day will bring to where you are
Sometimes I forget and sometimes I can't see
That whatever comes my way, You'll be with me
My life is in your hands, my heart is in your keeping
I'm never without hope, not when my future is with you
My life is in your hands and though I may not see clearly
I will lift my voice and sing 'cause your love does amazing things
Lord, I know, my life is in your hands
(from “My Life is In Your Hands” by Bill Montvilo and Kathy Troccoli)
PRAISE the Lord for your Mom’s testimony of salvation! And for your faithful witness to her! Another wonderful passage about God’s mercies is Lamentations 3:22-23.
Yes! I love that this is my heavenly Father!!! “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23