Reflections: God is good in me and in my world

By Laurie Langdon

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5)

God is good.

In everything he is and does, the Lord is full of beauty. In all his associations and dealings, he is pleasant and agreeable in the purest sense. He is, in fact, the origin of pure pleasure. He is the source of real happiness and the cause of true prosperity.

Every word spoken by him is good and every act performed by him is excellent. He is the richest of rich and the highest value of all values.

All that he does is appropriate; it is always complimentary to the welfare, prosperity, and happiness of those who receive his benevolence. All that he gives is bountiful. It is always enough, and there is always more where that came from. What he is and what he gives is always beautiful. It is always better than what can be gotten anywhere else, and he is always more than happy to give it.

But an amazing fact yet remains: the same goodness that God is, is within me and is within my world, for he has re-created his goodness in me through a new birth, and he is causing it to be manifested in me every day. Therefore, and in spite of how I may appear at first glance, I am superb, the primary product “of all he created.” (James 1:18) I am, in fact, a practical expression of God’s goodness in my world. So today, filled with the presence and power of God’s goodness, I will reveal this good God who gives good gifts to every person and at every event – simply by showing up. 

As in heaven, goodness reigns, so also, when God’s presence and kingdom is allowed to reign my world, goodness reigns. In this kingdom and under God’s authority and influence I am truly rich, for I am truly blessed.

In misfortune

I will always experience misfortunes. But, because of who and what Christ is in me, I am valuable in God’s economy, for my identity is not wrapped up in who I am, but in who I am in Christ and who he is in me. As a result, when misfortune happens to me, I can be confident that some other prospect is opening up. In fact, misfortune is most often merely a disguise for opportunity.

In weakness

When I feel weak or incompetent, I can be confident that the Lord’s might and aptitude is readily available and always at work. This is illustrated in the life of Paul the apostle who, in the context of being tormented by a messenger of Satan, writes, “But he [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:9,10)

In pleas for help

There are many calls for help around me. In fact, there is never a shortage of need, whether it be a friend struggling with the reality of forced retirement, a neighbor whose child has been diagnosed with cancer, or an elderly friend who just needs her front steps repaired. Because it is his Spirit that is at work in me, I am able to respond to each of these people in ways that are a) well-suited to their needs and b) appropriate to their capacity to receive the kind of help that I am giving.

In offence

There are times when I am pricked by a word, gesture, or attitude of another person. These times are most certainly capable of creating opportunities for offence. Yet, the goodness of God in and around me makes it possible to redeem these opportunities for offence, so that regret turns into serenity, sorrow turns into gladness, discomfort turns into composure, anguish turns into contentment, and grief turns into joy.

In testing

There are times when things come at me that really challenge my ability, skill, knowledge, or aptitude in some way. At the end of the day, though, these end up actually working to reveal my constitution in Christ: that in him I have both a strong shell on the outside and a formidable spirit on the inside. I am truly awash in the goodness of God.

In assault

There are times when I am attacked. However, whether I am being forced to do something against my will, or being assailed by hostile words, or being threatened in some other manner, the goodness of the Lord in me enables me to respond in an even-tempered gracious fashion. Whatever the assault, whether it be in the form of a chronic or recurrent disease, a destructive action against me, a design against me, a harsh criticism of me, or just a mood I happen to be in at the time, a) God’s goodness always surrounds me and b) God’s goodness is always a resource inside me. 

In smallness

There are times when I feel tiny in comparison to many around me. My influence seems minor, my power seems lacking, or my rank seems miniscule. But, while this may appear to be the case in the natural, the truth is that God’s goodness around and inside me means that I will never operate on a limited scale or be constrained by things like, for example, a small budget or a restricted skill set. I will never lack strength, I will never have but a small voice, my group will never be too small, and what I do will never have limited or no consequences. In fact, when I feel small, I understand that “He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

God is good in me and in my world.