Friends
I am still praising God for my new scanner device, Orcam My Eye 2, that I shared about last week. Each time it reads to me, I giggle with delight. It all makes me think about the goodness of God! What can you sing praises about today?
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“There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you…”
1 Chronicles 17:20 – NIV
When I was teaching Sunday School, my friends regularly heard me exclaim, “oh, this is one of my favorite verses!” The funny thing is that I said that about at least one scripture every week. My friends could have called me on it, but they never did. I mean, after all, how many favorites does a girl get to have? Ha!
Well, true confessions, I am about that crazy when it comes to songs too! I adore the praise and worship songs I have the privilege of singing each Sunday with my fellow Praise Team members. They, too, could be rich if they got a nickel for every time I remarked, “Oh, this song is one of my favorites!” Ha!
Yesterday, we sang one of my all-time favorites! The song is “Goodness Of God” by Bethel Music.* these words never fail to touch my heart.
“All my life, You have been faithful,
All my life, You have been so so good,
With every breath that I am able,
I will sing of the goodness of God.”*
I love those lyrics because they speak truth. All my life, God has been faithful. All my life, God has been so good to me, far better than I ever deserved. He has been good in the seasons of joy. He has been especially good in the hard seasons of trial and sorrow. He has been faithful through it all.
There is one more line in that song that never fails to fill my spirit with a fullness of joy I cannot adequately describe. “And I have lived in the goodness of God.”* Wow! Yes, I have surely lived in the goodness of God. I am living today surrounded by God’s goodness. It is everywhere, in the precious bloom of my geranium, in the laughter of my friends, in the helping hand of my husband, in the tiny talking computer strapped to my eyeglass frame. Yes, so much goodness, everywhere, all around us, if we will have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Dear friends, open your eyes and ears wide. Let joy and gratitude flood your heart as you remember His faithfulness. Come, let us live today and every day in the goodness of God!
PRAYER
Lord, You are good and Your mercies endure forever;
Lord, You are glorious and Your light dispels the darkness;
Lord, You are kind and Your compassion for us is unceasing;
Lord, You are generous and Your blessings for us are bountiful;
Lord, You are majestic and Your marvelous works command our praise;
Lord, You are gracious and Your love for us never fails;
Lord, You are sovereign and Your creation is magnificent in its wonders;
Lord, You are ever-present and Your tender touch comforts us in our sorrows;
Lord, You are powerful and Your mighty Hand saves us;
Lord, You are wonderful and Your precious gifts make our hearts leap for joy;
O Lord, that we might learn to bask in Your light, to worship Your sovereign majesty, to marvel in the beauty of Your creation, to dwell in the refuge of Your love.
O Lord, that we might offer grace instead of anger, kindness instead of rebuke, peace instead of conflict, joy instead of despair.
O Lord, in You alone, we find our peace.
In You alone, we claim victory over sin and death. In You alone, we secure our hope.
To God, be all honor, glory, majesty and praise.
In the Holy Name of Jesus, we pray,
Amen
Blessings,
Anita
* Song Lyrics from “Goodness Of God” by Bethel Music, Ed Cash & Jenn Johnson, 2018.
-APS 6/5/2023
Faith Beyond Sight 