GOD WORKS FOR OUR GOOD (1)

“The Lord is GOOD to ALL, and His tender mercies are over all HIS WORKS” – Psalm 145:9

We need to constantly be reminded that GOD WORKS FOR OUR GOOD: “Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome ACTS, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your GREAT GOODNESS, and shall sing of Your righteousness. The Lord is GOOD to ALL, and His tender mercies are over ALL His works. ALL YOUR WORKS shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You” (Psa.145: 7-10). Here, we discover five characteristics of God’s Goodness. (1) God’s goodness is connected to His acts and works. (2) His goodness is great. (3) God is not just good to some people, but to ALL – His goodness doesn’t discriminate. (4) God is good not just sometimes but all the times. (5) God’s goodness inspires praise from all His works and worship from His saints. Isaiah 64:8 says, “And all we are the work of Your hand”!

Psalms 145 to 150 are known as Praise Psalms because all five of them begin and end with the words, “Praise the LORD!” Psalm 145 is the last of the 73 psalms that David wrote. The psalm begins with a vow to extol God and to do it every day, and to do it forever! Moreover, David specifically revealed five distinct characteristics of God, all of which begin with the letter “G” – God’s Greatness (vv.1-6); Goodness (vv.7-10); Glory (vv.11-13); Guarantee (v.13); and God’s Grace (vv.14-21). Meditating on all of these G's and praising God for each of them, should give us peace on a daily basis and eternal hope.

Our emphasis in today’s Capsule is the Goodness of God. It is interesting that David and those who sang these psalms experienced a level of joy and gladness that many today, do not have, yet desperately need. These ancient folks lived in an era without indoor plumbing, automobile, media, or such conveniences of modernity; what we’ll call a drab existence. Yet, they acknowledged and appreciated the Goodness of God. They literally breathed God’s Joy and exuded His Presence.

When circumstances arise and we go through life’s trials, we tend to forget that God is good. Our thoughts begin to question whether God is truly good and whether He has our best interest at heart. When we begin to focus on ourselves and look at our circumstances, instead of looking at God, things are magnified. Our emotions, thoughts, and the physical aspects of our situations become who we are in those times, whereas these ought not to define who God created us to be! We’re “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psa.139:14). When we truly know who God is and what it means that He is good, we’ll be assured that all things work together for our good.

God is good all the time. His love is unending. His Grace is sufficient. His peace is perpetual. God’s Goodness is affirmed in the Psalms: “Good and upright is the LORD” (Psa.25:8a). His goodness is great: “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psa.31: 19-20).

God’s goodness is real and tangible: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is GOOD; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psa.34:8); “For the LORD is GOOD; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations” (Psa.100:5). Psalm 119:68 says, “YOU are GOOD and DO GOOD; teach me Your statutes” (Psa.119:68). Nahum added: “The LORD is GOOD, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him” (Nah.1:7). May we be established on the Truth that God is good and does good – that God works for our good always and in all ways, in Jesus exalted name!