GOD IS SO GOOD!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever,” (Psalm 107:1, NIV)

Sometimes I feel like all I do is complain and grumble to God about how frustratingly hard my life is because of chronic illness.  I don’t always complain out loud.  Sometimes I just feel resentful in my spirit, or grumble silently as I am going about my daily tasks.  Once I start complaining, it is hard to stop.

Have you ever felt this way?  I have, many times.  Ashamed about my attitude, wanting to be thankful for all God has given me and done for me, yet at the same time tired, so tired of struggling with a chronic disease and all its daily limitations.  When this happens, I have found that the best medicine is to stop, take a deep breath and do a mental blessing calculator.  I focus on the blessings that God has given me, and then I begin to experience joy in my soul.

The Bible is full of people’s praises for God’s goodness.  I think of Hannah’s prayer thanking God for His goodness to her when she conceived after years of infertility (I Samuel 2:1-10).  Then there is David’s prayer of thanksgiving to God after He chose to establish a dynasty through David’s lineage (2 Samuel 7:18-29).  David’s humility before God is apparent.  “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”  David realized that all his blessings came from God, and that, in reality (like all of us), he didn’t deserve any of them.

When I do fall into sin, complaining and grumbling, I am so thankful that I can confess my sins to God, and He forgives me completely and cleanses me from all unrighteousness through Christ’s blood (I John 1:9).  I am reassured by His Word that He will have mercy on me (Psalm 51:1-2).  He is the God who “forgives all our iniquities,” (Psalm 103:3).  He loves me in spite of myself.  Isn’t that great news?

Are you burdened today by sins that weigh you down and never seem to go away?  Do you feel forgotten by God?  Remember that He is good, that He will forgive and that His faithfulness endures to all generations!

Dear Jesus:  We praise and thank You that You are so good to us!  You give us so much more than we deserve.  Teach us, Lord, to always be thankful.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.