How to Taste the Goodness of God

There is a popular saying where one person says,  “God is good all the time,” and then the second person says, “All the time God is good.”  Some of us want to believe that God is good. Some of us believe that God is good.  And some of us have experienced that God is good.


There is a big difference between believing and experiencing, isn’t there?  I could describe for you an awesome dessert I made that is chewy, gooey goodness and you may be able to picture that in your mind and say that sounds good.  But it would be quite a different thing to get to taste it, experience it and know that it is good. 

 “O taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NLV)  To taste and see that the Lord is good is to experience His goodness first hand.  

Maybe you believe God is good because you’ve seen Him do things for others but you aren’t sure He’ll do good to you personally, or maybe you believe God is good sometimes but you struggle to believe that He will be good all the time in every area of life.  Are you expecting to see His goodness in your life today?

Jesus said He came ”...that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”  That sounds like a good God to me! If you aren’t enjoying life, it’s time for a change and that change starts with learning how to taste the goodness of God.

1. Renew Your Mind to the Goodness of God

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” –Romans 12:2 (NIV)

You might think you already know that God is good but I want to tell you there is more!  There are new depths of joy in life you can go to when you press into His goodness further. Sadly, most of us have been exposed to religion—the kind that says you can’t depend on the goodness of God. The kind that says you never know what God is going to do.  God sends sickness and poverty to teach you something or for His glory. Or maybe you even believe in His goodness, but deep down, you aren’t expecting to taste every morsel of it.

All we have to do is read Scripture to see we have a good, good Father God.  Jesus is the express image of the Father (Hebrews 1:3); He only did what He heard and saw the Father do (John 5:19);  if you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father (John 14:9); Jesus went about doing good! (Acts 10:38).

If religious traditions have robbed you of the goodness of God, or if you have lived hesitant to expect all of His goodness for fear of disappointment, it’s time to press the reset button. Even if you’ve convinced yourself that you somehow are unworthy of the goodness of God (or at least some of it), it’s not too late!

You can renew your mind to the goodness of God. Start today washing those traditions and wrong thoughts away with the truth. Get out your Bible and let God Himself tell you through His own Word that He is the God who heals you (Exodus 15:26). Dig into the Scriptures and discover for yourself that He is the God of mercy (Psalm 86:5), loving-kindness (Jeremiah 9:24), and compassion (Psalm 145:8).

Start doubting your doubts and open your heart to His goodness and the truth of the Scriptures will set you free!

2. Believe You Will See the Goodness of God

“I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” –Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)

 
If you want to taste the goodness of God, you need to believe you will see the goodness of God in your life. It’s not enough to believe it exists—you can believe electricity exists but if you don’t expect it will turn on, you’ll never flip the switch—you need to get to a place where you’re expecting it.  And you cannot see the goodness of God unless you believe He is a good God who gives “every good and every perfect gift” (James 1:17, KJV) to those who love Him.

Let’s set the record straight: God is not holding back any good thing from anyone. First Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (NKJV). He has things in store for you that you’ve never even dared to imagine. That’s exciting to think about!

The Hebrew word shalom, which the Lord uses so frequently to bless His people, means to have wholeness in your life—spirit, soul and body. It means you have nothing missing, nothing broken. God knows that is the way things ought to be, and that is the way He wants them to be—not just for a few of His people but for every one of them. As Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all” (KJV).

This truth will greatly impact your level of stress.  When you start meditating on the goodness of God you’ll find it easy to trust Him. It’s the “Father’s good pleasure to give” you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32).   “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11) God is for you and not against you. (Romans 8:31) Your trust is what will cause you to relax and open your heart to receive all the good things He wants to pour into your life...everything you need.

How will your stress levels be next year if you don’t start believing in God’s goodness?  They likely won’t get better on their own. Your enemy will be able to work unresisted to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10)  But if you’ll start renewing your mind now and expecting to see the goodness of God in your life, things could look much different very soon.

3. Receive the Goodness of God

“No good thing will He withhold from those from those who walk uprightly.” –Psalm 84:11 (NKJV)

 
He will withhold no good thing. All that is left for you to do is receive the goodness of God.  It’s God’s job to give and it’s your job to receive.  

What’s missing in your life today? What do you long for, pray for, dream about? If it lines up with His Word, God wants you to have it. That doesn’t mean you don’t have a part to play, of course. Your part is obedience and receiving by faith. And sometimes there is a preparation period between the “Amen” and “There it is.” But don’t doubt for a moment that He wants to give it to you.

You will have trouble receiving from God if you doubt His goodness.  Your prayers won’t have faith behind them.  They’ll simply be wishes, not effective prayers that bring in the promises.  You’ll feel that you can’t count on God so that means it’s up to you. You’ll carry a load you were never meant to carry and you’ll not enjoy life.

Perhaps you are trusting in the goodness of God for your salvation and for Heaven to be your home someday.  I was...but I also started being discontent with the level I was experiencing His goodness in the here and now.  I wanted to start experiencing His goodness while still here on earth. I sensed God calling me deeper.  

I believe He is calling you deeper today too.  Deeper into His goodness.  Deeper into His presence. Deeper into His love.  Deeper into His will for you to have a light and free life.  Will you join me?

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