Finding Hope in God's Goodness

​Before I move away from my thoughts on the hope we find in Easter, I wanted to talk more generally about the hope we can find in God’s goodness.  For many around the world today, the last few months have been full of stress. You’ve probably experienced it as well.
 
On the surface, it’s easy to think your stress centers on whether you or someone you care about gets COVID-19 or on the growing economic challenges surrounding the pandemic.  But those aren’t the real reasons stress has skyrocketed lately. It’s because we have forgotten how good God is.
 
Anticipating God’s goodness is the foundation of all hope. We can’t have hope unless we believe God is good—and will be good in the future.
 
If God isn’t good, we have no rational, logical reason for hope.
 
One of the Bible’s most famous verses reminds us: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11).
 
We serve a good God who has only good plans for our lives, even in the middle of this pandemic.
 
Psalm 23 reminds us of a number of different benefits of God’s goodness—reasons why people can have hope no matter what is happening with COVID.
 
The first is, God will meet your needs when you’re worried. David wrote: “The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack”. Because God is good, you don’t need to worry about any of your needs, he’ll meet them for you.
 
A key one for many is the reminder God will teach you to relax when you’re stressed out.  The second verse of Psalm 23 reminds us.  “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters”.  Doesn’t that sound peaceful? God will lead you to a place of peace. He’ll teach you how to relax when you’re stressed.
 
Feeling empty right now?  Ready to give up?  God will replenish your strength when you’re empty!  Our Psalm goes on further to say “He refreshes my soul”. In the midst of this pandemic, many are completely out of gas and have been running on fumes these last few weeks since Easter. God promises to give you the resilience you need for any trouble you encounter today or tomorrow.
 
And finally, God will guide you when you’re confused!  David writes, “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake”. Indecision is stressful, but God promises to guide you. You don’t need to worry about tomorrow’s challenges because God will help you with whatever you face.
 
There are a lot more examples of God’s goodness in this Psalm. I’d encourage you to study them today and look to God’s promises to sustain you in these turbulent times.  Many are trying to find hope in things like their careers, their relationships, or their savings accounts. Sadly, we’re finding how fragile much of what we put hope in before is.  Look to the goodness of God and you’ll experience something that gives a lasting and sustainable hope.

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