Good Happens

Lamentations 3: 25

The Lord is good to those who await Him, to the person who seeks Him.

What is the motivation for seeking God? I think there are many motivators, but this verse certainly is motivational. I think some of us (me) can be a little lackadaisical about seeking God. I mean, I just don’t think I am as intent as I should be. Then I read this verse and feel like an idiot. I probably wouldn’t have to pray about many things in my life, or anything, for that matter, if I would do the one thing which is most important, seek the Lord.

Good things happen when we seek the Lord. Seeking Him draws Him deeper into our lives so that He becomes integrated in our life stream. When He is a part of the fabric of our lives, of course things go better. He is goodness so incorporating His existence into my daily existence makes goodness happen in my life. It makes sense. It is pretty simple logic, really. So, why do I not dedicate myself to seeking Him all the time? I suspect I am not alone in this either. God wants to bless us, and we want to be blessed. I am happy to let Him bless me. That blessing is in His presence so, today, I am going to seek Him and let Him bring His goodness to my day. I hope it makes His day too.

Wait, Wait

Lamentations 3: 25

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

I did an interview in the spring about my book Journey Through the Bible. Since the book is a day by day sojourn through every book of the Bible the interviewer asked me if there were any particular books that I did not look forward to as much as others. I will have to say that the book of Lamentations is not up there with Isaiah on the list of Bible books I migrate towards. None the less, one of the insights that I believe is gleaned from the Journey Through the Bible is that every single book of the Bible has great wisdom and inspiration for today. Just look at this golden nugget hidden away in Lamentations. For the full interview please visit, http://www.christianbookshow.com/interviews/journey-through-the-bible.

Yesterday we read Psalm 40, verses 1- 4. The passage begins with, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me.” Couple that with “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,” and you have a powerful insight. Those who have been reading the Word of the Day for a while have come to know that there is substantial benefit to those who seek God. Certainly that is a part of today’s message, but we are also learning that waiting for God has benefits.

So many times I have gotten out in front of God. That never works. There has been an entire category of transformation in my life which is about letting God do the heavy lifting. In other words, we can work with God in our daily lives so that He is actually making things happen while we do the praying and whatever else He directs. At the root of getting in front of God is a profound lack of trust. In my case, I didn’t really believe down in my heart that God was a proactive, everyday, involved kind of Father. Therefore, my response to situations, even after praying, was to throw the full force of my personality and effort into accomplishing everything in my own strength. Now I recognize that as spiritual immaturity but that is where I was. Reading a passage like today’s verse encourages me, as I hope it does you, to have more patience and to trust God.

Remember the old saying, “Good things come to those who wait”? Who knew that was biblical? So take a deep breath; brew yourself a cup of coffee, sit down and relax. Talk to your father and allow Him to speak to your situation. Wait on Him and good things will come to you.