Do you ever stop to consider the goodness of God? His creation, His help when we are helpless? His mercy and grace so needed by every one of us. One on one, God is here for you.

480 years after the people were led out of slavery in Egypt, Solomon draws all Israel to the temple he has built for God’s Name. He has had the priests bring the ark of the covenant to the temple to be placed in the interior Most Holy Place and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its carrying poles. When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. 1 Kings 8:6-11.

Can you imagine?

Solomon on his knees prays to God and asks for forgiveness for the people when they sin against Him. He asks for God to restore them to Him. “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God.” v. 27-28.

Solomon knew as we all know that we sin. “When they sin against you – for there is no one who does not sin – and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’, and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy; for they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, out of that iron-smelting furnace. v. 46-51.

We live in an iron-smelting furnace of our own sins and the sins of others. We know we sin. Do we know that God is good and faithful?

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other. And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” v. 56-61.

They celebrated for 14 days and went home joyful and blessed. Can you imagine?

Are you weary? Are you tired of the problems of this world that are so big no one person can begin to sort them out? How about the problems in your own heart? The Lord God who gave the commandments for living without hurting ourselves or others says to us “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

Trust the goodness of God to lead you faithfully to the way of life that is abundant and full and blessed…and every abundance, fullness and blessing will be spiritual. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.

The goodness of God. You can trust Him.