The Lord is Good
The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. (Psalm 145:9)
Today's attribute we give God from scripture is "good." God is good, all the time. He desires for our welfare. Jeremiah 29:11 states: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
We know bad things happen to God's people, so doesn't that contradict what we just read about God desiring for our welfare? By no means! Romans 7:15-19 gives us clarity on where evil or bad things come from, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
God desires good for us and is good to us, to the point that Romans 8:1-4 paints a picture of exactly how good He is: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
God's plan for our future lies in Christ Jesus, not in our actions. God, our faithful and just God, free us from our sin and unrighteousness (1 John 1). We have a just God who loves us and frees us from the shackles of sin, Satan and death and who gives us eternal life with Him, our future in which we hope.
Pray with me: Gracious and merciful Father, like David in the psalm, we sing a song of praise to you for your mercy endures forever. Your Steadfast Love, the eternal goodness you have for us, is shown in Your plan for us in our own lives (Psalm 139). For this love we give You thanks. In Christ's Holy Name, Amen.