Bear Much Fruit: Goodness

Pastor: God is good …
Congregation: All the time!
Pastor: All the time …
Congregation: God is good!

I would get all the feels and think to my young self, “So true!”

Then I went off to college and the hardships started coming in waves. Strong waves. My parents got divorced. God is good, all the time. I repeated to my shaken up self.

Then came marriage. Such a sweet thing to marry the love of my life. I found it a little easier to believe again that God is good, all the time.

Then came the drought. The losses. One after another. Six babies in total, with a failed adoption in the middle. I remember praying desperately, “How can I possibly go on? Why me? How could you possibly still be good?”

The Lord allowed me to kick and scream, but then He quieted me with His love. His presence was powerful through words, hugs, hot meals delivered on my doorstep, and even small things like flowers outside or the sure, steady trees. Everyday, He sent reminders that He was still there, and He was still good.

He put breath in my lungs and gave a very wrung-out girl the strength to open up His Word, knowing that only He could provide the answers, the restoration and healing I ached for.

He knew they would come, but it would take time.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I learned so many things in that desert that I will treasure forever. I want to share three of them with you today:

1. God’s goodness is not dependent upon my circumstances.
2. (This is a painful one to stomach) I don’t always know what is best for me and my family.
3. I need to pray for more faith.

As I started praying for faith, I started feeling a draw to His Word. Hello water to a weary desert traveler!

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
-Psalm 27:13-14

He wasn’t promising children, but He was promising that I would see His goodness.

I read about the Israelites journey through the desert. Forty years with no answers. Forty years of wandering, waiting, and begging for reprieve. They couldn’t see it at the time, but God was moving. He was faithful. His restoration was on the way. God is good, all the time.

I devoured Lamentations and the Psalms like a starving child stuffing my face with warm food. It wasn’t always easy to swallow, but it provided the sustenance, comfort, and hope I was so desperate for. All the time, God is good.

Jesus’ words washed over me and soothed me, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”

When I just wanted to fast forward through the “trouble” I replayed in my head the accounts of God moving even when His people couldn’t see it.

When we can’t see it, my friends, we have to trust it. We know too well that these losses are nearly painful enough to finish us off. The grief is unbearable. It’s nearly impossible to believe that a good, sovereign God could allow these unspeakable tragedies? Nearly.

But it’s not impossible. The Bible talks about peace that passes understanding, and heaven is a piece of that peace. Because we believe our little ones are with God, we can be comforted in knowing that they will never again feel pain. They will never cry tears of sorrow like us. The joy our littles are currently experiencing is greater than our minds can even grasp in this moment. To me, that speaks volumes about the goodness of God.

There are no easy answers, girl. I wish just as bad as you that there were. But one thing I can say with assurance having survived a desert storm or two, is that God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.

And if you can’t believe that today, I will believe it for you.

Dear sister, as you have filled your heart with this declaration of God’s goodness, will you allow me now to direct your focus on your call to fruitfulness in Christ?

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children…for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true,  and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
-Ephesians 5:1, 8-11

Be imitators of God! As you draw near to God, and saturate yourself in His goodness, it will begin to radiate through you. As you walk in step with the Spirit as a child of the light, He teaches your heart to respond in goodness. As children of God, as fruit-bearers, we don’t have to walk in the darkness that we once knew. You have been redeemed!

Despite the sorrow you have known, despite the difficult circumstances you have faced, despite the afflictions you now carry, you can bear the fruit of goodness as you abide in the vine of Christ. As you continue to allow His light to expose the darkness around you, you will continue to grow in His goodness.

 “You are good, and what You do is good; teach me Your decrees”
-Psalm 119:98

 

Liv is a Midwest native who loves Jesus and is head over heels with her hubby. She is passionate about bearing and sharing hope with those walking through the darkness of waiting for a child. Liv stays at home with her miracle babes, but on the side she’s an avid writer, holy yoga instructor, public speaker and (slow) runner. On any given day, you might find her rocking out to worship songs in the kitchen, braving playdates with her kids, and chugging coffee. She heavily relies on her people, the Word, date nights, and food to keep her sane.

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