This season of my life is one that I will look back on and remember that my faith was shaken AND strengthened. I seem to continue to run into the common theme of trusting God through the good and the bad and focusing on who God is, not why God did. Each Day I read a small devotional out of a book called “Jesus Calling”. This is a small part of my devotional but many times the most impactful. The devos are written as if God was speaking them over me. Today’s centered around the two scriptures

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good; 
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

And

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,” 
declares the Lord.
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Psalm 34:8 is a beautiful invitation to experience our real, living God with a promise that the more you experience Him the more you will know his goodness. It seems the natural response to adversity in our lives is to doubt God’s goodness. The problem with that is in our ignorance we know God well enough to know His plans or “His way”. Which then brings us to the verses in Isaiah that tells us God’s thoughts are higher than ours and His ways are higher than our ways.

We shouldn’t spend time trying to figure out God’s plan or His purpose; it’s impossible they are unfathomable. But instead we should focus our heart and mind on God’s goodness. When we do, our questions become less important as God becomes greater and greater in our lives.

One thing I have had to tell my self and have told the congregation once or twice is this:

“We don’t know why things happen in our lives, good or bad, there is no way that they would make sense to us right now. There are so many unanswered questions that our heart and mind can become overwhelmed with them. Instead, let us focus on what we know to be true about God and his Character. God is good, faithful, just and full of mercy. He will not give us more than we can handle and in the end, his perfect will, will be accomplished for the good of those who love and trust him”

Lets spend our time dwelling on the goodness of our God today and let our questions and uncertainties fade away.