Surely Goodness and Mercy Will Follow You...
“He [Hezekiah] trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following him, but kept his commandments, for which the Lord had commanded Moses” (2 Kings 18:5-6).
Hezekiah removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars. He also broke the bronze serpent Moses had made because people were worshiping it. He was fully committed to the Lord and saw his kingship as an opportunity to serve God and make changes moving the people towards God.
“Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.
When the king of Assyria came against the people of Judah and threatened to overtake them, Hezekiah trusted in God. He told the people, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with them, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8).
Hezekiah then cried out to God for help and God heard his prayer. He then held fast and clung to God until he saw the deliverance of the Lord.
Unfortunately, his son did not follow in his steps but did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
“Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:9). Manasseh and the people paid no attention to God. Therefore, Manasseh was bound and taken to Babylon in chains (2 Chron. 33:10-11).
Once there, in his distress he repented, humbled himself and entreated the favor of God. God heard his plea and brought him back to Jerusalem. ”Then he knew that the Lord was God.” Afterward, he took away the foreign gods and idols, restored the altar of the Lord and offered sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving. He “commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13,15-16)
The Message Tool asks from this last weeks message, “What are the characteristics of Jesus that compel you to believe in God?” What is it the Hezekiah saw in God that compelled him to such deep trust and zealousness for the Lord? And what did Manasseh see that caused him to change his heart, turning from evil to serve God?
Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:25, “Yahweh is good to those who trust him, to the soul that searches for him.” Hezekiah, and later Manasseh, both knew the goodness of God.
Hezekiah knew, while he could not fight the Assyrians in his own strength, he could trust in the goodness and mercy of the Lord. Like David in Psalm 31, Hezekiah cried out to God for deliverance and looked for him to rescue them in His goodness.
Psalm 31:31:14-15,19
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!... Oh, how abundant is your goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of of children of mankind!”
“All the way my Savior leads me, How could I doubt his tender mercy...You lead me and keep me from falling, you carry me close to your heart, and surely your goodness and mercy will follow me...”
God is good. As an article notes, there is not goodness outside of God (Psalm 16:2).2 The article goes on to state that the “the goodness of God appears to be the sum total of all of God’s attributes. The goodness of God may thus be viewed as one facet of His glorious nature and character and also the overall summation of His nature and character.”3
The article makes mention of when Moses asked for God to show Him his glory. The Lord said “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion (Exodus 33:19; see also Exodus 34:5-7)."
“See His glory shine forever, in light of all...”
All that God does is in goodness. Paul says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
In the light of pain, suffering or difficult circumstances, I sometimes doubt God's goodness.
“How could I doubt His tender mercy... All the way my Savior leads me”
Sometimes, like Hezekiah, God delivers us from our difficult circumstances and other times he strengthens us to go through them. Either way, God never leaves us or forsakes us. He is constantly working out all things for our good.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, some day God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, but for now, even when he is silent in our suffering, He is always with us, offering us His love and bringing us what we need.
In His arms we find rest -even in the midst of the storms and trials.
Another time I doubt God's goodness is when I sin. Sometimes when I sin and He brings conviction, I become afraid and worry that I will experience disastrous consequences. I then close down my heart to Him and work hard to try to get it all right. I start thinking, if I could just fix what I did wrong and get it right next time.
I struggled with this when I woke up this morning. I had realized that I had judged someone and then responded out of that judgment. I felt terrible and wanted to take it back but I couldn't. I sat down worrying about it and trying to figure out how I could fix it as "I know I am weak, I know I am unworthy to call upon your name. But because of grace, because of your mercy, I stand here unashamed" played in the background.
As one article notes, the goodness of God is most supremely revealed redemptively through the provision for sin through salvation.4 The article refers to Romans 5:6-8:
“For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: for peradventure for the good man some one would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
As the article goes on to write, “We are unable to fathom or to express the amazing goodness of our Creator as expressed in the gift of Christ (2 Cor. 9:15).”5
“You gave me hope, You made me whole at the cross. You took my place, You showed me grace, at the cross where You died for me. And His glory appears, like the light from the sun, age to age He shines! Oh look to the skies and hear the angels cry, singing, 'Holy is the Lord!'”
God convicts us of sin not to condemn us or punish us. It is God's goodness that leads us that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). He loves us, giving us mercy and grace when we sin.
“Oh, how He loves us... if his grace is an ocean we're all sinking”
Paul wrote a hymn of Christ's love and goodness in Romans 8:31-39.
“What's not to love about You. Heaven and earth adore You... Son of God, You're the One we're living for!...Sing, sing sing and make music with the heavens!!”
When we know the goodness of God, we can trust Him to abandon ourselves to His loving care. We no longer need to strive to obtain what we need because we know we can rest in His goodness. He provides for us. “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Ps. 145:16).
When we doubt his goodness, like Manasseh, we go astray to our own ways looking to be filled from idols and false gods. We spend our energies striving to obtain rather than trusting Him. When we do, we settle for so much less. We settle for what is false, a shadow of God has for us that cannot satisfy our thirst.
I struggle at times with striving for recognition. What I am really trying to do is to obtain security and validation through the approval of man because I am not trusting God and His goodness towards me.
John Ortberg writes in his book, “Overcoming Your Shadow Mission,” that we must be rooted in a vision of God and the goodness of God. When we have a vision of His goodness, we can rest in it -no longer needing to clutch to outcomes which often result in manipulation and control.
As we are free from striving, grasping and clutching, we are available to God and His purposes around us. We are free to contribute and add value to others. As Ortberg writes, when people as a group are “focused on the goodness of God and on living in meaningful relationships with each other, they can do great things. People's lives are changed. The hungry are fed, the poor are cared for... And a little bit of God's kingdom gets planted her on earth.”
He writes, “You can die to your shadow mission and lead with joyful freedom because God is always at work in and around you in unseen, unknown, unnamed, and unlikely ways.” 6
As we rest in His goodness, we look for and expect to see it all around us.
“Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Our lives will become a song of praise to His goodness. “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.... Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth...who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.” (Psalm 146:2,5-8)
Lord, your goodness and grace amazes me. “Surly Your goodness and mercy will follow me” all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
1.Life Application Bible Commentary. NASB.
2.http://bible.org/seriespage/goodness-god
3.http://bible.org/seriespage/goodness-god
4.http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/444-reflections-on-the-goodness-of-god
5.http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/444-reflections-on-the-goodness-of-god
6. Ortberg, John. Overcoming Your Shadow Mission. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 2008.
7. Bergan, Jacqueline Syrup and Schwan, Marie. Praying with Ignatious of Loyola. The Word Among Us Press, Ijamsville, Maryland. 1991.
Hezekiah removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars. He also broke the bronze serpent Moses had made because people were worshiping it. He was fully committed to the Lord and saw his kingship as an opportunity to serve God and make changes moving the people towards God.
“Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.
When the king of Assyria came against the people of Judah and threatened to overtake them, Hezekiah trusted in God. He told the people, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with them, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8).
Hezekiah then cried out to God for help and God heard his prayer. He then held fast and clung to God until he saw the deliverance of the Lord.
Unfortunately, his son did not follow in his steps but did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.
“Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:9). Manasseh and the people paid no attention to God. Therefore, Manasseh was bound and taken to Babylon in chains (2 Chron. 33:10-11).
Once there, in his distress he repented, humbled himself and entreated the favor of God. God heard his plea and brought him back to Jerusalem. ”Then he knew that the Lord was God.” Afterward, he took away the foreign gods and idols, restored the altar of the Lord and offered sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving. He “commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13,15-16)
The Message Tool asks from this last weeks message, “What are the characteristics of Jesus that compel you to believe in God?” What is it the Hezekiah saw in God that compelled him to such deep trust and zealousness for the Lord? And what did Manasseh see that caused him to change his heart, turning from evil to serve God?
Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:25, “Yahweh is good to those who trust him, to the soul that searches for him.” Hezekiah, and later Manasseh, both knew the goodness of God.
Hezekiah knew, while he could not fight the Assyrians in his own strength, he could trust in the goodness and mercy of the Lord. Like David in Psalm 31, Hezekiah cried out to God for deliverance and looked for him to rescue them in His goodness.
Psalm 31:31:14-15,19
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!... Oh, how abundant is your goodness which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of of children of mankind!”
“All the way my Savior leads me, How could I doubt his tender mercy...You lead me and keep me from falling, you carry me close to your heart, and surely your goodness and mercy will follow me...”
God is good. As an article notes, there is not goodness outside of God (Psalm 16:2).2 The article goes on to state that the “the goodness of God appears to be the sum total of all of God’s attributes. The goodness of God may thus be viewed as one facet of His glorious nature and character and also the overall summation of His nature and character.”3
The article makes mention of when Moses asked for God to show Him his glory. The Lord said “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion (Exodus 33:19; see also Exodus 34:5-7)."
“See His glory shine forever, in light of all...”
All that God does is in goodness. Paul says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
In the light of pain, suffering or difficult circumstances, I sometimes doubt God's goodness.
“How could I doubt His tender mercy... All the way my Savior leads me”
Sometimes, like Hezekiah, God delivers us from our difficult circumstances and other times he strengthens us to go through them. Either way, God never leaves us or forsakes us. He is constantly working out all things for our good.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, some day God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, but for now, even when he is silent in our suffering, He is always with us, offering us His love and bringing us what we need.
“No weeping, no hurt or pain
No suffering You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness no sick or lame
No hiding You hold me now,
You hold me now”
In His arms we find rest -even in the midst of the storms and trials.
Another time I doubt God's goodness is when I sin. Sometimes when I sin and He brings conviction, I become afraid and worry that I will experience disastrous consequences. I then close down my heart to Him and work hard to try to get it all right. I start thinking, if I could just fix what I did wrong and get it right next time.
I struggled with this when I woke up this morning. I had realized that I had judged someone and then responded out of that judgment. I felt terrible and wanted to take it back but I couldn't. I sat down worrying about it and trying to figure out how I could fix it as "I know I am weak, I know I am unworthy to call upon your name. But because of grace, because of your mercy, I stand here unashamed" played in the background.
As one article notes, the goodness of God is most supremely revealed redemptively through the provision for sin through salvation.4 The article refers to Romans 5:6-8:
“For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: for peradventure for the good man some one would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
As the article goes on to write, “We are unable to fathom or to express the amazing goodness of our Creator as expressed in the gift of Christ (2 Cor. 9:15).”5
“You gave me hope, You made me whole at the cross. You took my place, You showed me grace, at the cross where You died for me. And His glory appears, like the light from the sun, age to age He shines! Oh look to the skies and hear the angels cry, singing, 'Holy is the Lord!'”
God convicts us of sin not to condemn us or punish us. It is God's goodness that leads us that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). He loves us, giving us mercy and grace when we sin.
“Oh, how He loves us... if his grace is an ocean we're all sinking”
Paul wrote a hymn of Christ's love and goodness in Romans 8:31-39.
“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died -more than that, who was raised -who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?… For I am sure that height death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"!!!
“What's not to love about You. Heaven and earth adore You... Son of God, You're the One we're living for!...Sing, sing sing and make music with the heavens!!”
When we know the goodness of God, we can trust Him to abandon ourselves to His loving care. We no longer need to strive to obtain what we need because we know we can rest in His goodness. He provides for us. “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Ps. 145:16).
When we doubt his goodness, like Manasseh, we go astray to our own ways looking to be filled from idols and false gods. We spend our energies striving to obtain rather than trusting Him. When we do, we settle for so much less. We settle for what is false, a shadow of God has for us that cannot satisfy our thirst.
I struggle at times with striving for recognition. What I am really trying to do is to obtain security and validation through the approval of man because I am not trusting God and His goodness towards me.
John Ortberg writes in his book, “Overcoming Your Shadow Mission,” that we must be rooted in a vision of God and the goodness of God. When we have a vision of His goodness, we can rest in it -no longer needing to clutch to outcomes which often result in manipulation and control.
As we are free from striving, grasping and clutching, we are available to God and His purposes around us. We are free to contribute and add value to others. As Ortberg writes, when people as a group are “focused on the goodness of God and on living in meaningful relationships with each other, they can do great things. People's lives are changed. The hungry are fed, the poor are cared for... And a little bit of God's kingdom gets planted her on earth.”
He writes, “You can die to your shadow mission and lead with joyful freedom because God is always at work in and around you in unseen, unknown, unnamed, and unlikely ways.” 6
As we rest in His goodness, we look for and expect to see it all around us.
“Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Our lives will become a song of praise to His goodness. “I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.... Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth...who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.” (Psalm 146:2,5-8)
Lord, your goodness and grace amazes me. “Surly Your goodness and mercy will follow me” all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
"Before Creation, God chose us in Christ to live whole and joyous in God's loving presence. We were adopted as God's children. God's purposes in creating us were filled with kindness. Even when we rejected God, Jesus came to show the Creator's patient love, to forgive our sins, and to urge us to lift our voices in praise of God's goodness. In short, Jesus set us free from our bondage.
Moreover, God showers us with grace, wisdom, and insight. Our eyes have been opened to the plan the God has for humankind. Everything in heaven and on earth will be brought together in unity with Jesus the Christ (Adapted from Ephesians 1:4-10)" 7
1.Life Application Bible Commentary. NASB.
2.http://bible.org/seriespage/goodness-god
3.http://bible.org/seriespage/goodness-god
4.http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/444-reflections-on-the-goodness-of-god
5.http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/444-reflections-on-the-goodness-of-god
6. Ortberg, John. Overcoming Your Shadow Mission. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 2008.
7. Bergan, Jacqueline Syrup and Schwan, Marie. Praying with Ignatious of Loyola. The Word Among Us Press, Ijamsville, Maryland. 1991.
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