O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
1 Chronicles 16:34 AMPC
As I read today's extract, I am reminded of the nature of the God who calls me to Himself, asking me to seek Him with all my heart. I am also reminded of the nature of the man who wrote the words of this psalm - David. He was not called a man after God's heart for nothing; he must have been totally sold out for God that nothing, not even death or war, could take his attention away from what was going on. Uzzah had died for touching the ark and Obed-Edom had been blessed for taking good care of the ark. With God, you cannot lose. If I take care of God's business, God takes care of my own business.
One very important lesson: God is good. It does not mean that bad things will not happen; it does not mean He will not permit 'bad' things to happen to me. It only means that whatever He permits must serve his purpose, which is to do me good. It has to pass through him before it gets to me; therefore, whatever gets to me must serve God's purpose. Because God is good, all that he does, gives or allows must be good. I thank Him because he is always on guard, watching out for my interests. As a good pharmacist, he knows the right prescription and dosage for all he brings my way, and he will ensure that I come out fine at the end of it all.
He does not do the occasional good, and then evil the rest of the way. He is all good, and his good is the eternal kind. He is not given to occasional outbursts of anger for no just cause, otherwise, we would all be dead. His mercy and loving-kindness is the reason why we are alive and well. If he were to make a note of sin, not many of us will survive today, but because of his mercy and goodness, we can measure our lives in days, months and years. This is the effect of God's nature making an impact on our nurture. We are, simply because He is. We exist, simply because he allows us to. For all these, the only appropriate responses are praise and thanksgiving. These show I know the value of what I have received. I am not ungrateful, and I am not one who just grabs. Like David, I come with a heart full of thanks, and I say to God: you are all I have. You are all I need. Thank you for all you are, and have given me. That's me; what's your response? God's time of favour is here.
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