WEDNESDAY IN THE WORD    March 22, 2023

“WILLING AND WAITING”

“Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently on the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLT

In a world full of so much pain and loss, we can sometimes overlook the “Goodness” all around us. The very simple things that God has allowed us to experience, both happy and

sad. While forgetting that through it ALL, He has been right there by our side, leading, guiding and directing our paths. Why? because He has promised to never leave or forsake us. This is a time of great loss for many of us. It seems as though we are losing loved ones by the minute. Grief and Loss can be overwhelming. I sometimes wonder when will the goodness of the LORD outweigh the inequity, the revealing of the truth, the pain and loss of death. Can we  only imagine the “Goodness” of the LORD is Not for us here this side of heaven, or is it only reserved for heaven itself? After reading this 27^th Psalm, these two verses made me stop and think of how open David was with God in the midst of his lamenting. And yet through it all, he chose to worship Him as well when he said, “Yet I am confident that I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am in the land of the living. How could he make such a claim. I believe he prayed boldly asking the LORD to “Show me Your Goodness.” And after doing so, he began to realize that God’s goodness had been surrounding him all along. Perhaps, David wasn’t claiming a change in his circumstances, but he was “Willing” in his heart to see what was already there. This afforded him the “Waiting” time necessary for God to display His Goodness again. Willing and Waiting required him to be patient and courageous, but having patience nonetheless to wait on the LORD. These verses should chip away at the negativity of our souls. It’s so easy to fall into this mindset. But after internalizing these verses we should start to be willing to see the Lord’s Goodness and even anticipate it. God’s goodness does exist on earth because God is Good. Despite our circumstances, hurts, losses and our feelings, God is faithful to His Word.

So, whenever you and I walk through the difficult seasons, and as our pessimistic minds anticipates the worst, let the Holy Spirit use David’s words, to remind us that even in hard times, this side of eternity is filled with God’s Goodness. We need only to be willing and waiting to see it. We can do this by asking God the Father, to help the Eyes of our hearts to see His Goodness in the World around us. So, we can honestly say with confidence and without sounding like a cliché, that “God Truly is Good All the Time” and sincerely mean it. Amen.

Rev. Andie