Crushed by the Weight of HIS Goodness!

"God is good, all the time and all the time God is good!"

Cliche? Maybe, but cliches, like stereotypes, usually exist for a reason. This one exists because it is TRUE! God is good! But what does that mean? It means if he is good, there is no bad in Him! Again, this sounds so obvious and elementary that we really overlook the importance and value of the statement. Think about it, nothing bad in Him at all! Which means, when dealing with us the only thing He has to give is Goodness. So let me define goodness for you. It is the predisposition of someone to show kindness, to perform acts of generosity and show favor to. That is what God has for us. Wow!

This past Sunday morning during praise and worship service at church, I was meditating on God's goodness when I was overwhelmed by it. And not just His goodness to me. He was showing me His goodness through what He has done for those around me. There were several friends, family members and even casual acquaintances in service that morning whose personal stories I am familiar with. God was showing me His faithfulness to them through the years of struggle each one had come through. The same faithfulness He has shown me. He was showing me how, just like in my own life, once He got hold of their hearts, even at an early age, He never lets go. Praise Him for that. He never quits on you, even when you try to quit Him. He never gives up on you even when you've given up on yourself. He never forgets you even when it seems everyone else has. HE IS SO GOOD!

Meditating on His goodness drew me back to some scriptures I hadn't read in a while and I re-read them with "new eyes". I realized they were describing what He was doing with me right then. Exodus 33:17-23:

And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."

How awesome is that? Moses asked to see God's glory and God said, "Okay, I'll show you My goodness. But God knew His goodness was going to be too strong, too powerful, too.....WOW! for Moses to endure the fullness of. So God placed His hand over Moses to protect Him from Himself. Isn't that just like God. How many times have we asked God for something He knew we couldn't handle, so He gives it to us anyway and finds a way to help us with it! He IS good!