Promises, promises

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Today we look into our understanding of God’s goodness in a deeper way. Here in this verse from James we get a picture of God as the author of goodness, the originator of every perfect gift.

 In Africa there was this common  confession and response that was used to either start  service or to start a sermon. The leader of worship would often get up with a wide smile beaming and say.“GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME” with the congregation responding with “ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD.”

Now what made this incredible is that life was really hard in Africa. Everyone was facing food shortage under the burden of hyper inflation inconvenience of power cuts and no fuel exacerbated by long  queues and high unemployment rates.

If we were to gather as a community and confess together “God is Good all the time… All the time God is Good”, what would it do?  It would changes our focus. Instead of focusing on the difficulties of life it would lift us you up, elevates us above the circumstances and even change our perspective.

When we use the word Goodness what does that mean? The word ‘good’ is an adjective that we use to describe or modify a noun. We might ascribe goodness to person  or place or we might use it to describe an object.

When we say something is good giving we are giving it a value to.  When we say God is Good… we saying that God has worth and value.  That is why Praise and worship is so essential in church. When we gather in worship it’s more than to singing songs, more than ritual. Worship  lifts our gaze from ourselves and our lives to turn from those thoughts  and worries and together refocus on the nature and Character of God. Worship reminds us who God is. When we glorify God we are not making Him more Glorious but rather it is changing of perspective of God so that we are able to see his glory.

Lord, thank you for all you do out of your great love for us. I pray that my heart seeks you and desires to see your goodness in all of life’s circumstances. May I always trust in you even when I cannot see what you are doing. Help me more and more see your goodness right in front of me. In Jesus’s name, Amen.