Words of Hope Daily Devotional
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read his Word, and meet with him in prayer. Available in print and email.
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
The Goodness of God
Read: Psalm 27
I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! (v. 13)
There have been times in my life when I’ve found real intimacy with God, sensing his presence. But more often I’ve lived with a sense of the absence of God. During these times I have to remind myself of what I know about God rather than how I feel about God. I’ve seen God’s footprints in my life, sometimes in unique ways assuring me I know he’s been with me.
When David wrote this psalm, he was going through a tough time. He was in danger physically, emotionally, and spiritually. He didn’t feel close to God, so he knew he had to focus on what he knew about God rather than how he felt about God. He had to pursue beauty and find in that the face of God—a task as difficult for him as it would be for any of us when we are struggling in life.
This psalm demonstrates that even if the worst this world has to throw at us comes upon us, God is with us and, in the end, he will provide for every one of our needs. David did not fear suffering because he had faith in God. He believed he would see God’s goodness even in the midst of life’s grief. Truly observing God’s “goodness . . . in the land of the living” (v. 13) means we must first choose seeing his goodness in our suffering.
As you pray, ask how you can see God’s goodness in your suffering.
Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the LightandWaking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.
