The Goodness of God
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 NASB
Beloved in Christ, How blessed it is that the Lord, by His gracious mercy, allows us to engage in the great ministry of reconciliation. This means that God has entrusted us with the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, calling all men to repent from their sins and believe in Him as their savior. There is no greater calling than this, for all mankind is darkened in their understanding, bound by their own corruptions and given over to carnal appetites. Their only hope is that Jesus Christ, the great Deliverer, rescues them from their sinful estate.
This Psalm brings great comfort and strength to every Christian, for there are many challenges that we face in this fallen world. Many people are indignant to hearing the good news of God’s glorious gospel. The Scriptures are very clear: “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.” And again, “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them.” The Scriptures also tell us, “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.” He further adds, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
David, the author of this Psalm, recognized that salvation is found in no one but God alone. This realization ignited a deep yearning in his heart to please the Lord, as his greatest desire was to dwell in the house of the Lord throughout his life. He longed to behold within the depths of his soul the beauty of the Lord, exalted and glorious. Consequently, he engaged in a profound struggle against the desires of his flesh and the temptations within his own spirit. While we do have accounts of his moral failures documented in Scripture, I would argue that there is even more written about his laments in the psalms that were composed during his nights of repentance.
David understood that he was called to be a representative of the Lord while living among godless and unrepentant sinners. As a king with significant influence, he placed his trust in the goodness and sovereign power of God, even within his own flawed heart, believing that God would remain faithful and fulfill all His purposes through him. It is for this reason that he wrote, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
Beloved of God, rest assured that your deliverance from the earthly ills of this life will come. You will see the glory of the Lord, highly exalted and lifted up, on the day when He returns as a triumphant King to separate the wheat from the chaff. Therefore, do not become despondent by the wickedness you see each day. The Lord has a purpose for all things; for if there were no darkness, you would never see the beauty of the stars at night. So, Christians, let your light shine brightly in the midst of darkness, reflecting the purity of God’s love to this perverse generation, understanding that God is being glorified through your obedience. So take heart and herald the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people in your sphere of influence, believing that you will see the goodness of the Lord awaken them to salvation. Know that God’s word will never return void, but as snow melts from the tops of the mountains and flows into the deepest channels of the valley, so God’s word always accomplishes its will. Press on, valiant warriors, trusting in Him who was pierced for your transgressions. Go forth like a mighty warrior to vanquish the enemy’s strongholds and raise the altar of peace only found in the shed blood of Jesus Christ.