#MidweekWorshipConnection | S1E5

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

– Psalm 100:5, ESV

Amen! The LORD is most certainly good. Surely his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness has been evident to all generations!

Still, it is not difficult to look around and see what seems to be obvious evidence to the contrary.

How many times have we turned on our television to see yet another act of senseless violence? How many times have our radios rang out with the news of another global tragedy? How often does our Twitter feed tell us of another terrorist attack?

This world is filled with hate and violence. There is no shortage of sickness and suffering.

How then can we say that the LORD is good and that his steadfast love endures forever when we are constantly surrounded by such tragic circumstances?

I know this sounds crazy, but the reality is so foreign to our typical way of thinking. The truth is that even WITH all of the tragic circumstances surrounding us, God is constantly giving us so much more goodness than we deserve.

What do we deserve? We deserve death. Right now. This moment. We deserve death. The apostle Paul summarizes this truth very clearly in his letter to the Romans. He reminds us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, ESV), and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a, ESV)!

We have all sinned. We have all purposefully lived in the exact opposite way of how God has commanded us to live. We all deserve to die.

I know. Our minds don’t want to think like that. We tend to think that we DESERVE His goodness, His kindness, His love. But we don’t. We deserve death.

God actually treats us better than we deserve. He offers us grace and mercy.

I know that we want to think of Jesus as someone who helps good people become better, or bad people become good… but the truth is that Jesus makes dead people come alive. He has been doing it for generations, and it doesn’t show signs of stopping.

The LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations!

The second half of Romans 6:23 can help us see God’s love and faithfulness more clearly.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23, ESV

The sickness, tragedy, and violence that we see all around us is truly horrible. It is the natural, normal result of people living in active opposition to God. By all means, let’s pray for the injured, and the sick, and for those who have lost loved ones, family members, and friends. I do not want to diminish their circumstances in any way. But let’s also remember that God’s goodness is not dependent upon our circumstances. His goodness is a constant truth regardless of what we are going through or what is happening around us. His steadfast love endures forever -through any trial, tragedy, or triumph. And his faithfulness is to all generations. No matter how dire the situation seems to be, he will never leave us and He will never forsake us.

Perhaps the best solution to the problems that we see around us is for us to share the love of God in word and in deed with those around us. Then, together, we can become less focused on the darkness and death that surrounds us, and more focused on the light and life that is being freely offered through Jesus.