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Truly, God is Good
Psalm 73:1
Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart."
I was recently taking a trip to a speaking engagement with my father-in-law, Dr. Steve Heidenreich, when we were discussing how good God has been to us. We discussed how many people seem to not see the goodness of God. As we drove, it was good to talk about the goodness of God.
The verse above reminds us of God's goodness. When the Psalmist said, "Truly God is good to Israel,..." he was not saying it in a time when everything was going good. When you read the psalm, you will see that he was declaring God's goodness in bad times. He declared the goodness of God emphatically by using the word, "Truly." The definition of this word shows us how good God really is.
First, "Truly" means, "In fact." In other words, factually God is good. When you read the facts of the Word of God, you will find that God is truly good. It doesn't matter what the world says about God's goodness, the facts show otherwise. God's goodness is never ending. The fact that God is good all the time is declared in Psalm 52:1 when it says, "Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually." God is continually good to you, even when you don't think He is being good. Truly, when you look at the facts of God's Word, you will see that God is good.
Second, "Truly" means, "In deed."When you look at the deeds that God has done, you will have to declare that God is good. God is good because He is righteous. A righteous God cannot and will not do evil to His people. Christian, when you research God's works throughout history, you will find that His works declare His goodness. In fact, when you look at His deeds, you will say that truly God is good.
Finally, "Truly" means, "In reality." In other words, when you make a comparison of God's works by looking at the whole picture of your life, you will find that God is good. Sure, there may be times when you did not think that God was good, but when you look at the whole picture you will say, truly God is good. You cannot look at one portion of your life, but you must look at your whole life to see that God is good.
Just like my father-in-law and I were discussing God's goodness to us, you will also find that God is good when you consider the facts, deeds and reality of life. The message of the song, Count Your Blessings should be our message every day. The chorus says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God hath done." When you count your blessings, you will truly be surprised at how God is good.
Today, take some time to sit down and write the blessings of God on your life. Don't be general when you write down His blessings, but be very specific. I believe if you will do this that you will say with the psalmist, truly God is good.