“What if?” Challenge #4

You know that feeling you get when you realize someone’s watching you? That sudden awareness that you’re not alone, but the focus of someone else’s thoughts? Let me shift that picture just a bit… How aware are you of God’s goodness toward you?

• Do you sense it even before you see it?
• Are you aware of His eyes always looking at you with love?
• Can you feel His mercy following you everywhere you go?
• Do you recognize His good intentions even in the midst of hardship?

I realize, this is going to be a difficult subject for some of you. Life seems to pile up evidence against this very thought. God’s goodness? What’s that?! And I get it. I’ve had my own battles at varying stages, wondering, Where is God? And why is He trying to ruin my life? But I’d ask that you give me just a moment. Maybe, like me, you’ll see that you haven’t been seeing the whole picture. That God’s love and mercy have been present more than you realized.

David’s story of God’s goodness.

At the estimated age of 16 or 17, young David penned the words of Psalm 23 while tending to the his father’s sheep. He declares the love, provision, and protection of his own Shepherd, the eternal and self-existing Jehovah. Verse 6 summarizes with these words: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (KJV)

David had not yet experienced the jealousy of King Saul. He had not yet fallen to the temptation of adultery or felt the brokenness of a son’s betrayal. And yet, God gave David the revelation of His goodness and mercy many years before so he would have truth to stand on during the storms to come. Yes, David wrestled with questions and pain, but he always came back to the reality that God was pursuing him, in love and kindness, in it all. David learned to have eyes to recognize God in the midst of every circumstance as he stood on the truth he knew.

Do you have this Rock to stand on? Are you intimately aware of God’s goodness and mercy chasing you down in every detail of your day? If not, ask Him for eyes to see. Pray for your awareness to increase.

Take time to ponder: What if God’s goodness really is pursuing me?

• How would life take on a different light?
• How would you think and act differently?
• What decisions would you make differently?

Please share your thoughts or discoveries below or on my Facebook page.