Did you know that God has goodness prepared for you? Not just goodness, but great goodness! It’s so good that other people will see His goodness working in your life.
Psalm 31:19 is a promise and praise about this:
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!”
God’s goodness was on my heart this morning as I recalled a question the Holy Spirit asked me several years ago during my prayer time:
How good can you stand it?”
I was at a crossroads in my life. For so long, everything had been a struggle. I struggled with debt, obesity, fear, doubt and feelings of low-self-worth.
But after heeding a powerful word from the Lord, the struggle was over. I paid off the credit card debt and dropped the excess weight, I was finally getting balance in my life. Things were looking good!
Now it seemed the Holy Spirit was asking me to make a decision:
- “Do you want to be complacent where you are?”
– Or –
- “Do you want to go to the next level and experience even more of God’s goodness?”
I think God asks that question of all Believers who have a sincere heart to know Him and follow His ways. So I am asking you the question:
How good can you stand it?”
I hope you will answer the question the way I did that morning:
Lord, I can stand as much good as you give me the capacity to stand!”
You are already in position to receive more of God’s goodness because of your identity in Christ. However, many Christians don’t receive all God has for them because they aren’t prepared to receive it.
Psalm 31:19 gives you great wisdom on how to prepare to receive more of God’s great goodness. The Psalm begins:
Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,”
For whom does this scripture tell you that God’s great goodness is prepared? For those who fear Him!
As God’s people, we are called to fear God, but that is not the “quaking in your boots” kind of fear. After all, He is our Heavenly Father! Rather, we reverence, honor, and respect the Lord enough to do what He says.
Proverbs 9:10 says:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
You cannot operate in Spiritual wisdom without the fear of the Lord. Operating in wisdom is a key to experiencing God’s great goodness.
However, if God tell you to do something and you ignore Him, then you have just blocked the path of great goodness from entering your life in that area.
Here’s a personal story to illustrate this point. Mike and I have a distant relative who has experienced a lot of trouble in his young years – most of it self-inflicted. We visited his grandmother and after barely speaking to us, the young man went into his room.
The grandmother told us that the young man was under-employed and wanted to earn more money. Mike had knowledge that could help the young man. So Mike called his name and asked him to come out so that he could talk with him.
But the young man did not come out of his room.
I was dumbfounded at his disrespect. Here, Mike had knowledge that could bless the young man and help turn things around in his life, but he would not come out to get it.
Now Mike did not go into the young man’s room. Instead after visiting with the young man’s grandmother a while longer, we left. And Mike’s precious knowledge left with him!
The young man’s response reminded me of the call of Wisdom written about in Proverbs 1:24 – 27:
Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.”
So when the Holy Spirit tells you to do something, do not consider the difficulty involved. Rather rejoice and obey! God wants to give you more of His great goodness! So be wise and receive the opportunity He is offering you.
Now let’s look at the second part of Psalm 31:19 –
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!”
In addition to fearing the Lord, you must trust in Him to receive more of His great goodness.
Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us great guidance in this area:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
In the natural, you can’t really trust someone that you do not know. It is the same in your relationship with the Lord. How will you ever grow to trust Him more if you don’t spend time with Him? Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I spend quiet time with the Lord daily, learning about His will through the Bible?
- Do I acknowledge His presence throughout the day?
- Do I seek Him in prayer about my daily decisions?
- Do I maintain a heart of thanksgiving daily for what He has done and continues to do for me?
These are all practical things you can do to acknowledge God in all your ways. When you do this, He promises to direct your path. The Lord will always lead you to His great goodness. You may have some uncomfortable tests and trials along the way, but He will do you good in the end!
In Jeremiah 33:9, God declares His vision for His people:
Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’”
God is faithful to do His part; now let us purpose in our hearts to do our part so that His great goodness becomes evident in our lives. Our goal is to win others to Christ.
When they see our lives, then it will attract them. The wise ones will want more of God’s goodness for themselves. And there is plenty goodness available to go around!
Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Creator of the ‘Take Back Your Temple’ program
https://takebackyourtemple.com/program
P.S. Do you want to know how other Christians are losing weight for GOOD? Check out my Take Back Your Temple Program page and discover practical wisdom on how you can succeed in keeping excess weight off for good.
Thank you so much for this It is exactly what I needed today. I often share your devotions on my facebook page. They are so timely and encouraging and full of truth! God bless you!