I woke up this morning and felt a trickle of joy as the Holy Spirit was declaring to me that God is good! While all around, on the news, in the mouths of just about everyone we hear about the despairing economy, the plummeting stock market and natural disasters. As I acknowledged the undeniable truth of God's goodness, various scriptures began to pop in my head and I looked them up.
“For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.” 1Timothy 4:4 This passage is talking about our freedom to eat anything put before us if we receive it with gratitude, but why not acknowledge that everything from God is good, even a failing economy?
Yes, we are in different times. Everything that can be shaken is being shaken, so that what remains will endure. I’ve been through some intense shaking in my life and one thing is for sure, though the earth may shift and mountains fall into the sea, the word of the Lord endures forever and that is good news that brings hope in times like these.
As I read along in Scripture I felt encouraged to be of those who bring good news in these trying times. Isaiah spoke about messengers with good news when he said, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7
Isaiah 61:1 also speaks about the anointing to bring the good news. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”
In past decades men hurled themselves out of skyscrapers to their death when Stock Markets tumbled, because they didn’t understand the goodness of God. But God’s faithfulness transcends economics, everything living or dead, “angelic, demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable-absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” (Romans 8:39 MSG) His love endures forever. God is always good.
