How To Trust God’s Goodness Even When …
Goodness, God! What are you up to?
Quarantining an extrovert who depends on PUBLIC speaking to make a living? How is that gonna work? Can I celebrate God’s goodness in light of these circumstances?
Are you asking a similar question?
To answer, start with what you know to be true. I KNOW God loves me and called me to write of His faithfulness, proclaim His name and teach His Word. Ironic that now I have no place to do that.
I have to remind myself of God’s goodness.
I look to the Bible for hope and inspiration and I find that God doesn’t promise fame and/or fortune and/or pain-free smooth sailing.
He simply asks me to trust him and to be faithful as life unfolds. Even when I don’t understand. When I absolutely want to know more. Especially when the outcome looks bleak.
I question,
Not with my eternal future but with my RIGHT NOW circumstances. If you question, look no further than your Bible.
but then …
Noah was called to build an arc to escape the destruction of the world. He trusted God for 120 years. The rains came but then Noah floated to safety.
Abraham was promised an heir, but got old waiting. He trusted God for 25 years but then he got his son Isaac.
Joseph was kidnapped, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. He trusted God for 20-odd years but then he rose to second in command of Egypt putting him in a position to save his family from starvation.
David was anointed to be king. He trusted God for 25 years but then he was appointed as the king over all Israel.
Mary trusted God through the gossip and ridicule and the arduous trip to Bethlehem. But then, she gave birth to the Savior of the world.
Paul trusted God for decades, through shipwrecks, stonings, beatings and humiliation, but then God used his experiences and wisdom to write half the New Testament.
Trust him or fail him. Those are the choices.
Men and women in the center of God’s will and calling were met with opposition, ridicule, torment and anguish. But they didn’t stop proclaiming God’s goodness. And neither should we.
I can trust him for His timing, provision and protection until I see the fullness of his faithfulness. Or, I can quit on His calling. Circumvent His plan. Foil my future. Miss out on experiencing His pleasure.
I choose to trust Him. Even if it means repeating, “I trust you, God. I trust you, God. I trust you, God. I trust you, God,” until the anxiety, worry, fear, or sorrow subsides. Ten thousand times a day if necessary.
You may need to do that, too.
When your baby goes off to kindergarten or college.
You can say,”I trust you, God.”
When you get the promotion or the pink slip.
You can say,”I trust you, God.”
When the diagnoses is benign or malignant.
You can say,”I trust you, God.”
When all is well or the well is dry.
You can say,”I trust you, God.”
Though we may not always see the outcome. We can always trust God’s goodness towards us.
How are you experiencing God’s goodness and His faithfulness to you in this season? Encourage us all by leaving a comment below.
Scripture Refresher: But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” Psalm 31:14
Prayer: Though I am afraid and may falter, God, be with me and assure me of your goodness so that I may trust you all my days and in all my ways. In Jesus Name, amen.
Thank you Robyn, your words of faith and encouragement always seem to come at the right time!
As people seem to be losing their minds and compassion in the face of the Covid 19 virus I have to admit I have totally turned it over to God and trust Him in the outcome. I’m a nurse, I’m about to become a grandma, I have an 80+ year old mom….I just pray and trust Him as He leads me through it. Thank you for the message.
Linda,
I do pray for you to keep your head and have a sound mind. Fearless and wise. For you and your mama to be protected.For ministry opportunities to comfort, encourage and even evangelize. amen
These are definitely trying times., something we have not experienced in my life time. I have faith that when this is all over, we will all be better for it. I think God has a plan, and we need to trust him.
Hi Arlene,
God definitely has a plan. And I’m sure it’s a good one. Trusting Him in the waiting.
Our pastor used Jude vs 24 & 25. He pointed out the word KEEP means God will guard or keep us. It’s His promise. It’s not up to us who believe to do the keeping. He will make us STAND blameless before him with great joy! To him be glory,majesty,dominion.and authority for all times and forevermore#
Interesting! Thanks for the good word!
Thank you Robyn, I have been blessed with extra time to spend with our God and in my Bible and reading and listening to Christian speakers. I too have to remember to tell God I trust Him…often…but I also remember we can come boldly into the throne room and cast our cares on Him because he loves us! I know I’m in a good place…praying a lot for those who are not….and taking my responsibility to pray over the situation seriously! May the love and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, cover you.
So thankful for prayer warriors like you Sheryl.
Blessings on you!
I want to thank God for those, like you Robyn who take one to encourage others in times like these.I believe God is saying to us ; ‘You have spent time serving yourselves , but now I want you to look to me, be still and know that I am the LORD, your provider your sufficiency etc’
Hi Rose,
I agree this is a unique time for God to reveal himself to us in supernatural ways.
I love Psalm 23, I try and pray it every night so I fall asleep knowing and singing that He is my Shepherd! Keep claiming His promises!
One of my favorites, too, Liz. Every morning.
I can’t be full of trust and fear and the same time. (Max Lucado)
Paraphrased This thought helps me to get to sleep.
Robyn, your words of encouragement and scripture add sunshine to my day – THANK YOU!. Isn’t it ironic how often we wish we had more hours in the day to be at home with family and friends, to pursue a hobby, to accomplish long overdue tasks, and now that we have that extra time we don’t appreciate it. Sometimes we just need to look at life from a different perspective, i.e. looking up at dark, cloud filled sky then turning around and seeing the rainbow. Feeling lonely and isolated, turn around and reach out to others via phone, text or even snail mail. The rainbow is ALWAYS there, you just have to turn around to see it.
Liz, your advice are wisdom. Thanks so much for posting this encouragement and all the do-able ideas to rewrite the story.
Robyn this spoke to me in volumes this morning. Thank you for your encouraging word. We all need to be reminded of this in a time like now. God should be who we turn to first in good and triuble time. Thank you
Ramona,
Happy to be a voice of encouragement when so much is out of our control. Thanks for posting!
Robyn, I am so grateful I can “trust in the Lord” through all of this coronavirus. I believe we are “more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord”. He gave me that verse to cling to through this difficult time. Our God is good and He will not let us down. We who know Him are safe and sound in His arms. Enjoy your messages and they so often speak to my heart and are just what I need for that day. God bless, Barb Postema, Willard, Ohio
Thanks for posting Barbara. We ARE more than conquerers. Great word for today.
Robyn when I opened my eyes this morning I thanked God for everything he has given me and asked him to help me focus on the good in my life. Thank you for this message today. I am forwarding it to some friends in desperate need of hearing it.
Thanks Faye. May this message of God’s goodness be a refreshment to others.
Hey Robyn,
I wish I could have made it to the I Belong conference at Christian Heritage in Graniteville a couple of weeks ago. It just didn’t work out. But, I did go on their page and listen to you. As always, it was great and inspiring. Maybe the next time you are in the area I will be able to come see you! Everyone still tells me how much they enjoyed you at our ROSES Conference at Cornerstone. It is a trying time now for everyone and I will keep you in my prayers!
Hi Toni,
It would have been great to see you again, that’s for sure. Love your heart for the Lord and for his people.
Love
Robyn
At this time, god has truly equipped us to be loving and compassionate and not greedy, self centered as the world seemed to be on a direct path to being. During this time With so much other uncertain us we do know that God is in control and we just have to put our total trust into him. This is a time when Each of us have the opportunity to pour our compassion and love to our family whether they’re near or far and to strangers. A simple act of mailing cards to nursing homes, baking cookies and putting it on your neighbors porch. Or just putting a poster in your yard saying we’ve got this. One act of kindness will Have a ripple effect. Be safe be healthy be kind and continue trusting in our God. For God is great all of the time
Robyn, I am still trusting God….believing Him for my healing / miracle baby….I trust Him in the waiting.
And I am trusting Him to continue to provide and work in the midst of this virus.
I agree with you in prayer, Emily. May God’s answer be yes and amen.
I love what Liz Lucas said along with you & so many others who offer good advice & suggestions.
Thank you Robyn! We love what you do.
The Lord has left my husband and I in a position to continue to work and therefore be a blessing to others. We have the financial means to give a little more right now. We have the technology means (and knowledge) to facilitate online Bible study and online game night. We have a little extra time to spend being more intentional about each other. For some of us, our new normal isn’t that far off from our old normal and that is encouraging to me. 🙂
I’m so happy for you Sara! The isolation and bickering caused by this virus are offset by kindness and generosity. Well done!
There’s a song I’m sure you know it, Through it all through it all I’ve learned to TRUST IN JESUS I’ve learned to TRUST IN GOD Through it all I’ve learned to depend upon HIS WORD.
Georgetta,
Thanks for posting. 🙂
I’ve done everything you say for countless years and I still can’t get to the point where I truly believe in God’s goodness. My whole life has simply been too filled with suffering and unbearable emotional pain. He hasn’t alleviated any of it and now I’m having the hardest time going on.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Thomas. May the Lord reveal himself to you in ways that are undeniable so that you can trust him more.