As we have been watching the news in the last (how many?) months, we have been bombarded with bad news: hurricanes, flooding, fires, murders–the list goes on. And it is so easy to ask ourselves, “Where is God in all of this? And why doesn’t He do something to stop it?”
If we don’t allow God’s word to be the foundation of our thoughts and ponderings, our faith can truly begin to flounder, shaking the very depths of our souls.
The long answer to these questions has been explained by those much wiser than I, and it will have to be for another time in this space. But right now let’s address a related question: “Is God really good if He allows all these bad things to happen?”
I remember the first time I considered this question. I was going through the greatest crisis of my life. I was definitely not thinking that God was good at the time.
But the pastor was asking the congregation to repeat after him, “The Lord is good!”
I struggled inside, but then I knew from deep within me that if God said it, then it must be true. So I believed His word by faith and was able to say sincerely with the pastor, “The Lord is good!” And, I was at peace with that realization.
But what if we have trouble coming up with that faith?
Is there anything we can do to get over this inner faith crisis?
I’d like to suggest that we, especially in our western culture, need a paradigm shift in our thinking.
We tend to equate God’s goodness with His gifts, especially material gifts.
But we can also have this attitude about other gifts we desire:
- a faithful spouse
- good health
- healthy children
- good eyesight….
In fact, if we’re honest with ourselves, we feel He owes us these things, especially if we are really trying to be good. And, we may even feel we have the right to demand them of Him and be angry with Him if He withholds them or allows them to be taken away from us.
But God IS truly good, and He knows what will truly fulfill our deepest longings.
We just don’t understand, ourselves, what our deepest longings are.
Jeremiah was in a place like that when he wrote the book of Lamentations.
His country had been invaded, and most of his people had either been killed or taken off into exile. The city had been destroyed by fire.
He grieved and lamented, but through it all he found what that deep longing inside him required in order to be completely satisfied.
“The LORD is my PORTION,” he said. (Lam. 3:24 emphasis mine)
Another less known Bible character who wrote of this was Asaph. He was upset that the wicked prospered, while he suffered daily trials.
He described himself as becoming embittered over it all until the Lord revealed to him that the wicked certainly would be suddenly judged. They would not get by with it.
The Lord revealed to Asaph the same thing that He revealed to Jeremiah.
Asaph wrote,
“Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my PORTION forever.” (Psalm 73:25,26 emphasis mine)
In verse 28 he states, “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good.”
So, both of these men discovered that God’s goodness was not so much in the kind of gifts that they could see and touch, but in His very near Presence with them,
- His strong, protecting Presence.
- His encompassing, loving Presence.
- His compassionate, joyful Presence.
- His peaceful, good Presence.
- His gracious, merciful, gentle, faithful Presence that wrapped itself around them like a warm fuzzy blanket to warm their hearts and keep away the cold of the hard things in life that surrounded them.
The word PORTION in the above verses, according to Strong’s Concordance, comes from a Hebrew word pronounced Khay’-lek meaning smoothness or an allotment. (In those days, smooth stones were used to cast lots instead of rolling dice or drawing straws.)
Jeremiah found comfort and hope in the fact that, even though everything as he had known it had been stripped away, God was His Portion or allotment.
GOD allotted HIMSELF to Jeremiah!
He gave Himself to Jeremiah as his ALLOTMENT, and in doing so, HE GAVE JEREMIAH THE GREATEST GIFT IMAGINABLE!
The gift of HIMSELF.
He did the SAME WITH ASAPH.
And He does the SAME WITH ME.
And if you have come to Him for forgiveness through faith in Jesus, who died, was buried, and resurrected to save you, then He is your Portion as well.
I guess the questions we need to ask ourselves are,
- “Are we glad that He is our Portion?
- Or do we prefer the gifts over the Giver?
- Where does our heart lie?
- Are we actually worshipping the gifts instead of the Giver?
- If so, are we willing to move in a new direction, that being TOWARD the Giver?
God is good. He never changes.
Our perception of Him as not being good is based on lies we have believed and acted on.
May we believe His truth today and draw near to Him who loves us more than anyone else will ever be able.
Maybe you would be willing to pray the following with me:
Lord God, Jehovah,
You are my Portion! I thank You for that. Please forgive me for the times I have knowingly or unknowingly worshiped Your gifts instead of worshiping You, the Giver. You alone are worthy of being worshiped and adored. I believe that.
Please help me to move closer to You and to embrace You as the loving, good Sovereign that You are. Help me to rejoice and find hope even in times of great distress, in the fact that You not only gave Yourself for us, but also that You give Yourself to us.
I praise You, Jesus! What an awesome God You are!
Linking up at: RaRa Linkup, Coffee for your Heart, Tune In Thursday, Chasing Community, Heart Encouragement
Faith on Fire, Spiritual Sundays, Dance with Jesus, Faith ‘n Friends
What a convicting thought; do I prefer the gifts more than the gift giver? I will have to pray over this today.
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Yes, Mary. How easy it is to fall into this trap! Fortunately, God welcomes our seeking Him and forgives us when we turn back to Him. I’m so glad of that!
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment! 🙂
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So beautifully written! The question we all ask at one time or another. You explained it so well. Love that God is our portion and He allotted Himself to each one of us. Such a blessing. Thank you for your encouraging words.
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You’re welcome, Amy, and thank YOU for taking the time to read and leave an encouraging comment!
God is good, and I’m glad! 🙂
Keep smiling!
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This is so good. I struggled with a lot of these thoughts after Harvey (we live in the Houston area). There was so much destruction, and I had to remember that we’re blessed even in difficult situations. He is what is good. He is the ultimate blessing.
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That He is, Shannon! The Ultimate Blessing! Yes, and I remember the words of Job when he had lost everything except his life, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
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Great reminder and especially needed for me today! So glad I stopped by 🙂
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Thanks, Nicole! And God knew you needed this; I haven’t shared that early in a long time, but He hurried me up this morning. He truly is good, and He definitely loves you a lot! 🙂
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Beautiful post and a truth we need to hear. God IS good and all that He does is good. He is faithful to us and on those hard days, He will give us more of Himself and be our portion.
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Amen, Joanne, and thank you!
May you enjoy His presence with you today and always! 🙂
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Such an important question: “Is God really good if He allows all these bad things to happen?” It’s what derails so much faith. Thanks for addressing it here, and reminding us that the Lord is our portion. I want His goodness to be more than enough for me, even when I don’t understand.
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Hi, Lisa! That is a great attitude to have!
We tend to want to understand, but I’ve learned that when I lean on my own understanding, I am not truly leaning in complete trust on Him.
Have a blessed weekend! 🙂
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Oh, the gift of Himself. How could our wayward hearts ever long for more?
Thank you for using these godly OT men to preach to my heart today.
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I know, Michele, right? I guess the problem is just that, that our hearts are wayward.
Lord, forgive us and please help us to stop going astray and start loving You more.
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Great word here today. I cling to the truth God told Abraham. “I am your very great reward”. That verse in Genesis 15 keeps me grounded into what is most important to remember. Otherwise, I am easily swayed with thinking His gifts measure His goodness but that verse helps me gain my footing to stand firm against that pull from my flesh. Great post👍
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Thanks, Gretchen! I had forgotten about that verse in Genesis 15; thanks for reminding me! It is very similar to the ones that say He is our Portion. Either way, He is the One that fills us up; He is all we need. It’s mind boggling but true! What a loving and good God we have! 🙂
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I have to remember constantly God is good. He is love. When I struggle, I read Job 38. And at the edges of my heart and mind, I know my struggles make me cry out to God and seek Him, depend on Him.
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Hi, Debbie! Thanks for sharing that passage from Job. It’s a very humbling passage to read; I think it would be a good passage to read often.
May the Lord help you to continue to draw closer to Him as He walks with you through the trials of life.
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Hi Ruthie!
Refreshed my heart and mind with your beautiful thoughts. God is my portion—strength, help, trusted One—all I need in this chaotic and scary world. Thank you dear sister—love your faithfulness! 😘
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Hi, Toni! I’m so glad to know the Lord used this to encourage you! To Him be the glory!
😘
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Yes, it’s so true that we often equate the Lord’s goodness with His gifts to us. Never stopping to consider that His biggest gift is Himself. His faithfulness. His love already poured out on the cross.
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Amen, Betsy! Thanks for stopping by here and for taking the time to read and comment! I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving! 😊
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I have thought a lot about This these past weeks, that could I still say God is good when things are not and how to continue in that place of God’s Presence and know that He is Sovereign , in all things over all things and through all things. Still working on it probably always will
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I was just reading John 16:13-15. His Spirit will announce it to you in detail as you abide in God’s Word. Over time it will become clearer to you. Just keep clinging to Him. He will carry you through. Praying for you, dear sister.
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If we have Jesus, we have all we need<3 thank you, sister, for speaking truth!! I'm encouraged by your witness and heart for the Lord. May He continue to speak through you, His humble vessel<3
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I praise the Lord that He would use me to be an encouragement to you! Thank you, Annabeth, for your encouraging words and for your blessing! ❤ Have a great day!
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My Aunt who only schooled for a few years could read and recite The Good Book.
Her Pastor was full of admiration and we all applauded her good heart and commitment.
She has left such a void in our lives after she succumbed to cancer.
8 years later and we still mourn and grieve for the Woman of God, a Mother and a Beautiful Woman.
…. then I found your blog.
My heart feels full again with your words and your teachings.
We all need Light and Guidance…. if only more of our youth would start with The Good Book.
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Hi, Kavita! Welcome to my blog! I wonder, are you a fellow chai drinker?
I’m so happy that you found fullness and Light and Guidance in this place. God’s word has a way of doing that! And, as you have said that your Aunt was a believer (still is, just in another place!), then I have the same Spirit of God living in me that she did. So, please continue to pull up a chair and study God’s word with me! I’m sure your Aunt would be happy to know that you are doing so! ❤ ❤ ❤
Looking forward to seeing more of you in the days ahead! 🙂
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Im so glad that you responded. I so look forward to your posts. You write so articulately and draw one into your calm with strong words. Yes, I love chai too. Had the best in Mumbai. Until again, i send warm regards from Sunshiny South Africa.
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