The Goodness of God: In the psalms
Something I've struggled with since becoming a believer is seeing God's goodness. I find it funny that The Behold Collective is in a series about God's goodness but it's the most blurred in my life. I've texted my mentors about 30 times since moving about how hard college is and how exhausted I am. God knows exactly what he's doing. Through studying for this blog, I have read scriptures that give me deja vu. I have felt these emotions before; I have cried out to God in these ways before, but my good, good God has also always answered in these ways before. I challenge you to view the Psalms the same way. How can this reflect your life and your lament?
The Goodness of God: Deuteronomy
The Goodness of God in Deuteronomy
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9
We often forget the good things we’ve experienced from the hand of God. Even though I’ve seen God help me in tough times, provide what I need, and guide me through uncertainty, I still struggle to hold onto those experiences when life gets challenging. We know God is always with us, but when things get rough, it’s easy to feel scared, question what He’s doing in our lives, or even stray from what we know to be true. That’s why the Bible encourages us to keep these truths in our hearts, share them with our kids, and even write them where we can see them daily. We need those reminders.
The Goodness of God: The book of Numbers
Praying for the salvation of others is probably one of the most noble prayers any disciple of Jesus could pray. But often, we pray, and pray, and pray, and we don't see any movement towards God for those we lift in prayer.
My husband, Michael, and I have been praying for our children's salvation since birth. God blessed us with three marvelous and unforgettable sons but never a biological daughter. In the naming of our sons, Michael and I could never agree on what their names were. Still, we immediately landed on our daughter's name before our firstborn was even born: Alice Elizabeth. After having 3 sons in synchrony, I was told that we could no longer have any more biological children. I was okay with that, as the pregnancy was complicated for me, but saddened at the thought of never having a daughter with my high left cheek dimple.
The Goodness of God: Leviticus
I am that crazy person that loves the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus, often seen as a detailed manual of laws and rituals, holds hidden gems that invite us into a deeper relationship with God. One such gem is the word “Behold” (Hebrew: hinneh, Strong’s H2009). While this word might seem small or inconsequential in our English translations, in the original Hebrew, it carries significant weight—a divine call to stop, pay attention, and fully engage in what God is about to reveal.
The Goodness of God in Exodus
“Sometimes the providence of God is best seen looking backward.”
I heard these words several months back while listening to a sermon series by Life Church pastor Craig Groeschel on one of my daily walks. When I heard this message and these particular words, I was currently in the midst of a difficult and confusing space, and the message of hope I heard through this message spoke poignantly to my place of discouragement. While I didn’t find myself, like the Israelites, in a foreign country oppressed by slavery and facing potential annihilation, I was in a painful situation, uncertain how God might bring me through. These words by Craig were like a balm to my heart. I was reminded that although sometimes, during our hard times, it can be challenging to see, God is always GOOD and always working FOR our good. He has shown himself faithful through countless experiences throughout my life, just as He showed up for those we read about in scripture. Even when we can’t see it, that doesn’t mean God isn’t good or is not working behind the scenes. Instead, He walks with us in the pain, in the hard, and dwells with us until we can look back and see what He knew all along. And this is the story of the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
Before You Open Your Bible…
Here's the thing I believe is the downfall of most Bible reading.
People, JUST START READING.
And that works for the most part. Until you run into something that doesn't make sense, seems to contradict something else you read, or makes you question everything you thought you knew about our Creator.
The more I understand and study this crazy, intense, and intentionally designed book, the more I'm blown away.
Here are some things that will set you up to be more interpretative of the text rather than just taking it at face value.