Message: Goodness of God
Speaker: Chris Mitchell
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8
That word, taste, in Hebrew is tah-am. It means perceive, examine, test. The Psalmist is asking us to test God's goodness in this way.
The word, good, in Hebrew is tob. It means pleasant, agreeable, excellent, beneficial, valuable as a resource.
DISCUSSION:
-Is there a time that comes to your mind where you experienced the goodness of God?
We all have an idea of what "good" is. But the truth is, good for us doesn't always feel like what we think of as good. God is the ultimate judge of what is and what is not good.
We can assume that God will only allow good things to happen to me, and good will be how I define good! We can assume that God will cause all circumstances to work out in our favor. But "good" doesn't always mean "good" the way we would define it.
There are things we learn as we walk with God and trust in His goodness:
When good things happen is not the only time that God is good. As it turns out, God's goodness shines even brighter in the darkest moment of our lives.
Gos is good even in the middle of life's storms.
DISCUSSION:
-Has there been a hard, dark time in your life when you clearly experienced the goodness of God, perhaps in ways you did not expect?
Let's take a closer look at Psalm 34
In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; He saved me from all my troubles. Psalm 34:6-7
For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Psalm 34:7
The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
The righteous person faces may troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. Psalm 34:17-19
DISCUSSION:
-Slow down and read each of those phrases. What questions do you have? What comforts you or challenges you?
-Is it hard for you to believe these verses, or have you experienced these truths in a personal way?
Another truth we learn about God's goodness is:
Sometimes God will move the mountain, and sometimes He will make us better climbers.
God's rescue doesn't always look like what we think it should look like. Sometimes His goodness is not removing the hardship in my life, but coming along beside me, strengthening me, and getting me to the other side.
It is much harder for the enemy to trap me in my despair, when I see my circumstances, both good and bad, as opportunities for God to put His goodness on display.
DISCUSSION
-Where in your life right now do you need to see God move a mountain or make you a good climber?
God's promise is never to abandon you. He loves you and will never give up on you.
Reflect
Read Psalm 34 each morning. Journal about what stands out to you and what phrases are speaking to you each day.