Knowing God: Experience & Love Him

The Goodness of God (Psalm 31:19)

Assured that all our Lord’s requests
and plans are good.

Paul J. Bucknell

Series Introduction| Knowing God | The Revelatory God | Goodness of God | Holiness of God

Goodness of God handout pdf | Video

Life Questions | Genesis 1 & Goodness | Other Scripture & Goodness | Two Worldviews of Self | Difficulties Believing | Satan's Tactics | Handling Evil | Power of Goodness | Psalms 31:9 | Distinctive of God's Goodness | Good, Evil and God | Study Questions & Projects

Handling Life's Challenges

Purpose: How are people going to understand God's goodness when so many things are going wrong? I frankly share from my personal experiences working closely with people in Africa, India and other areas where they face many serious daily problems. We get to see how they handle such crises.

This finishes the second main section of The Goodness of God.

“God is good.” “God is good all the time.”

“God is good.” “God is good all the time.” This is the phrase I hear and join in stating with the many congregations when traveling across Africa. What is interesting is that those who are saying it face many more challenging difficulties than ourselves.

I just got an email as I was preparing this from the head of a Bible college in Nigeria.

“Please, I want you to pray for my daughter Esther, the enemy wants to take her life, we have been in the hospital, the condition is worst. We are praying and crying… Because she is not doing ok.  But, with God all things are possible.”

My heart, along with many others, began praying for her. “All things are possible.” We pray because God is good.

In the picture is the celebration of a new church. When I hold seminars, they use these special ministry occasions to double up for other situations like the founding of a new church, such as in this case. You might notice there is no roof, no walls. Even the canopy has many holes through which the rain water drips. (And yes, there is a lot of torrential rains there.) Needs are all around us.

• They have no money for simple medicines.

• They don’t have money for Bibles.

• They walk endless miles to get where they want to go.

• Food is expensive. They eat porridge every day.

• Disease hits their chickens. There goes their meat and egg supply.

A weak theology will drive people into the dark corners of doubt. But wherever I go throughout Africa, I hear a common chant, Pastor: “God is good!” People reply: “All the time!” Pastor: “All the time!” Congregation responds, “God is good!”

There cannot be a better way of tackling the hint of inferiority or mediocrity in God’s goodness than to praise the Lord for His goodness, despite what we see, hear or feel. God’s good plan goes beyond what we can see.

Just as in the case of Jesus, God’s goodness made sure that despite the evil that latched onto God’s servant, goodness arose and went far beyond Golgotha into the world.

Trace the great Isaiah 53 account of the Messiah’s sufferings and affirmation of God’s goodness.

“But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10).

The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. We praise the Lord that little Esther was able to survive the night and come home. The pastor wrote back,

Thank you so much for your prayer support towards my daughter Esther, I am thankful for your quick prayer for Esther. Yesterday, was a different story of her serious illness.

We just got home this evening and she will take one more injection tomorrow at the hospital, so far she is better than yesterday. Praise God.

At the moment she is sleeping, once again, thank you so much for your prayer for Esther, that is why she is alive today. Praise God.

My heart has no desire to stay, where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where those abound, My prayer, my aim, is higher ground

Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on Heaven’s table land,

A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Thanks!

It is faith that enables us to constantly respond to God’s goodness despite the ferocious temptations that at times surround us.

Next page =>The Power of Knowing God’s Goodness

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Biblical Foundations for Freedom ( BFF )

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell