Even though I know in my heart that God is good, there are times where I find myself doubting His goodness in my life. Not His character, but the things He allows.
I find myself questioning whether I should pray for certain wants and desires; almost too scared to ask Him for things. At times I’ve thought, “It doesn’t say anywhere that He will give me this… or that… maybe I shouldn’t even mention it. What’s the point?”
But then I came across this verse:
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
– Psalm 84:11
The words “No good thing does he withhold”, really struck a nerve!
In that moment I thought: “There it is! He DOES want what’s good for me”. And all at once all these other verses started popping in my head that talk about the same thing.
James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change”
Psalm 37:4
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
1st Timothy 4:4
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude”
“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude”
Psalm 145:9
“The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.”
“The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.”
It is so clear that God IS good and He does want to give us good things. But there is a greater truth that spoke to me in all of this.
God doesn’t want to just give me what’s good… He want to give me the best!
He already gave me the best…Himself!
This amazing, and perfect, all-loving God CARES for me and wants what’s best for me. He cares so much for me that He doesn’t allow me to remain in my current state. He cares so much for me that He wants to see me grow. He cares so much for me that He wants to challenge me and change me. He cares so much for me that He wants to bring out the best in me, which is a reflection of who He is. He cares so much for me that what matters most is not what He gives me, but Who He gives me.
The most important thing I could even experience in this world is this beautiful relationship with Him! And if that comes with trials, then I accept. If that means that a lot of times He will not give me what I want or ask for, then I’m grateful. If it requires me to trust in Him when my future seems like a blur, then I surrender.
Because this means that He will reveal Himself in ways I’ve never seen Him before. This means that I’ll experience His love in depths I could have never imagined. This means that He will help me grow more than I even thought I could. This means that I will come one step closer to seeing who He really is…and that is so worth it!
Experiencing God is far more precious than anything good I could ask for.
So next time I question whether I should pray about things or not, I need to remind myself that it is not about what I am asking for, but about Who I am talking to. It is not about what I want, but about what He wants. And what He wants is all of me. All of my heart and all of my thoughts. So no matter what it is, I should still bring it to His presence and lay it down at His feet.
Because in the end I know that He will give me the best! He already has…
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