God’s Goodness to Us

By Violet Ng, Singapore

I would like to start off by writing that I need this article as much as anyone who reads this. I need this because I've forgotten what God's goodness to me is in the times that I'm too distracted by my problems, the worries I have, and the struggles I face. I pray that we all remember that when there is darkness, that is where the light shines the brightest.

God’s Goodness in How He Loves Me

Recently, I’ve been listening to the song “Goodness of God.” When I listen to the song, it reminds me of how God has been with me:

“I love You, Lord” / “For Your mercy never fails me” / “All my days, I've been held in Your hands”

It makes me feel emotional because I can’t help but think back on the times that I’ve forgotten that God is with me. I can forget that He is always with me through every high and every low, always fighting for me, and giving me the strength to deal with the uncertainties that I face.

Are there times that we forget how God’s goodness is within us? I am so touched when I think about how God has been there for me, in the times that I was struggling or had difficulties in seeing a way out of the situation I was facing.

Lamentations 3:22-26 (NIV)

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

    therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

    to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly

    for the salvation of the Lord.

This verse from Lamentations reminds us that God is good to those of us whose hope is placed in Him. We need to continue to seek God to be continually assured of how He does not ever let us go—He has us firmly in His hands, and in His grasp.

God’s Goodness in How We Love Our Neighbours

I believe that God’s goodness empowers us to have the strength and vision to serve others. It helps us to look beyond ourselves and think about the needs of others, which we can help to meet with the resources that we have.

We can see this in how the disciples of the first-century church lived and carried out their lives in their closely-knitted community. As they were inspired by God’s goodness in their lives, serving the needs in the community is a part of their lives and something that brought them together.

Acts 2:44-47 (NIV)

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

From this, we can learn that service is a part of Christianity and includes not just serving needs outside of our church community but also within our church community too. This is because, through serving, we are able to reflect God’s goodness to the people around us and also show to them how we see God and understand His gift of love to us.

Closing Thoughts

As I started my article with a song, I would like to end off with another song that I love: “How He Loves.” The starting lyrics never fail to make a shiver run down my spine when I sing or listen to them:

“He is jealous for me” / “His loves like a hurricane” / “And I am a tree” / “Bending beneath the weight” / “Of his love and mercy”

I hope this small article can remind us of God’s love for you, and how good He is to you. He does not leave you; He is faithful always. Hold on to His promises, and pray together with others if you ever feel lost and alone. I hope that His love motivates us to think about the needs in our community and feel excited to seek ways to give and show the gift of love we have received from our Awesome Father. God bless.

Bio

Violet is currently working as a teacher. She enjoys outdoor activities like climbing and enjoys playing games and watching online videos. She looks forward to travelling and serving in overseas missions when borders are reopened.