By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div.
Sunday Devotion and Prayer. April 9, 2023
“A Prayer of Thanks for God’s Goodness this Resurrection Sunday”
“I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:6
“Life is hard, but life is good. It’s both.” These words often surface in my thoughts and conversations, parenting, and writing. The Biblical equivalent to this sentiment spans the pages of Scripture. God’s goodness and blessing overrun the Bible, but alongside is the painful reality of suffering and pain this life on earth guarantees. Good and bad collide every day. The two weave together to create the tapestry of our life stories. He is good to me, in Hebrew, means to deal fully with, recompense; to wean a child; to ripen.
God is good. It’s who He is. When He sent His Son Jesus to earth, He did it because it was part of His good plan. It cost Jesus. He left heaven, was parted from His Father, and lived a human life for three decades. He went through what we go through and made a way for us to come to God through Him. God’s good plan caused even the Savior of the world pain on the way to and during His agonizing crucifixion. It was hard, but it was for our good. In our everyday lives, we can thank God for His goodness, even if the only good about it is Jesus!
We are never alone, and that’s a good thing. Our lives have a specific purpose. God loves us, yes we are loved! Another good thing about our lives. Amidst the hard parts of life, let’s also aim to see and focus on what is good.
Heavenly Father,
Praise, glory, honor, and gratitude to You, for whom You proclaim we are: good! Perhaps we will recognize this more in our daily lives having spent some time focusing on it today. Good. God, You are so good. In a world ridden with hard, bad, ugly, and evil Your goodness outshines the most painful of realities, even the cross.
Help us to focus on You, God. On who You are, compared to who we are. When we are having a hard day, we pray You will go before us and remind us of what is good. We believe You go before, behind, and alongside us, always. God, it isn’t You who needs to be reminded of who we are, it’s us! God, You don’t see the ugly parts of us. You know our struggles, sin, and the ways we fall short, yet You still embrace us for who we are right now. When we’re not so good, or not having such a good day You are still good. We can find peace and rest in Your consistency, Father.
You are who You are. You never change. You never fail us. You never break a promise. Father, You are always for us. Life is hard, but life is good. It’s both. Father, we pray the truth of this sentiment sinks deep into our bones, today. Help us to understand and acknowledge the sovereignty of Your goodness in all of our situations. In our lack, You are fully aware and fully capable of caring for us and providing for us. Allow us to see our everyday lives through Your perspective, Father. Through Your good sight.
Help us to see others the way You see them and to see ourselves the way You see us. For everything bad that has happened and is happening in the world, there is something good to rejoice over. In the midst of the madness ensuing on this planet, God, You make sure we are cared for and loved. You provide for us and love us. When we feel hurt, alone, and empty, remind us of the way You fill our hearts and lives to the brim and overflow them with Your love and goodness. Help us to remember, Your goodness and provision are not the same as what the world considers good and provisionary. But You are perfect God, and You are making us new every day, rich with Your mercy and grace. Continue to drench us in it, Father. Let us remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us, today, and always. In Your son Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
“I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:6
“Life is hard, but life is good. It’s both.” These words often surface in my thoughts and conversations, parenting, and writing. The Biblical equivalent to this sentiment spans the pages of Scripture. God’s goodness and blessing overrun the Bible, but alongside is the painful reality of suffering and pain this life on earth guarantees. Good and bad collide every day. The two weave together to create the tapestry of our life stories. He is good to me, in Hebrew, means to deal fully with, recompense; to wean a child; to ripen.
God is good. It’s who He is. When He sent His Son Jesus to earth, He did it because it was part of His good plan. It cost Jesus. He left heaven, was parted from His Father, and lived a human life for three decades. He went through what we go through and made a way for us to come to God through Him. God’s good plan caused even the Savior of the world pain on the way to and during His agonizing crucifixion. It was hard, but it was for our good. In our everyday lives, we can thank God for His goodness, even if the only good about it is Jesus!
We are never alone, and that’s a good thing. Our lives have a specific purpose. God loves us, yes we are loved! Another good thing about our lives. Amidst the hard parts of life, let’s also aim to see and focus on what is good.
Heavenly Father,
Praise, glory, honor, and gratitude to You, for whom You proclaim we are: good! Perhaps we will recognize this more in our daily lives having spent some time focusing on it today. Good. God, You are so good. In a world ridden with hard, bad, ugly, and evil Your goodness outshines the most painful of realities, even the cross.
Help us to focus on You, God. On who You are, compared to who we are. When we are having a hard day, we pray You will go before us and remind us of what is good. We believe You go before, behind, and alongside us, always. God, it isn’t You who needs to be reminded of who we are, it’s us! God, You don’t see the ugly parts of us. You know our struggles, sin, and the ways we fall short, yet You still embrace us for who we are right now. When we’re not so good, or not having such a good day You are still good. We can find peace and rest in Your consistency, Father.
You are who You are. You never change. You never fail us. You never break a promise. Father, You are always for us. Life is hard, but life is good. It’s both. Father, we pray the truth of this sentiment sinks deep into our bones, today. Help us to understand and acknowledge the sovereignty of Your goodness in all of our situations. In our lack, You are fully aware and fully capable of caring for us and providing for us. Allow us to see our everyday lives through Your perspective, Father. Through Your good sight.
Help us to see others the way You see them and to see ourselves the way You see us. For everything bad that has happened and is happening in the world, there is something good to rejoice over. In the midst of the madness ensuing on this planet, God, You make sure we are cared for and loved. You provide for us and love us. When we feel hurt, alone, and empty, remind us of the way You fill our hearts and lives to the brim and overflow them with Your love and goodness. Help us to remember, Your goodness and provision are not the same as what the world considers good and provisionary. But You are perfect God, and You are making us new every day, rich with Your mercy and grace. Continue to drench us in it, Father. Let us remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us, today, and always. In Your son Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
