Sorry, I haven’t written any posts in the last few weeks. I was busy with family and medical stuff (ugh). The family visits were good; the doctors’ visits, not so much. Now, I’m struggling with writer’s block a bit. It’s amazing how quickly it can set in.
However, writer’s block hasn’t been the only issue. World events have been unfolding at such a rapid pace that it’s challenging to stay current with the news! The Israel-Iran conflict is now on war settings, and riots continue to rock Democrat-run cities. Oops, I mean mostly peaceful protests. So I’m not lacking for material. I just don’t know where to begin. Then I heard The Goodness of God by Jenn Johnson and Bethel Music again.
I had forgotten about this song. I was glad to hear it. No, I needed to hear it because it’s easy to forget God’s goodness during these tumultuous times. As I listened to it, I thought of Lamentations 3:23.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Yes, great are his unfailing mercies and faithfulness. The song reminded me of those truths. It reminded me, too, that most of our beloved hymns were written during periods of intense trials. Sometimes they were personal ones; other times, they resulted from persecutions or geopolitical upheavals. Spafford wrote the hymn, It is well with my soul, when he lost all four of his daughters. Little did he know that he would lose his only son a few years later.[i] Martin Luther wrote many of his hymns while in the crosshairs of the Unholy Roman Empire. Similarly, the Wesleys wrote their hymns after the Church of England essentially kicked them out.
Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations, which spoke of God’s mercy and compassion during or shortly after the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took the Jewish people away into captivity. David wrote while fleeing for his life from King Saul. Those Psalms continue to bless Christians today.
Ironic that it takes hard times for us to see God's goodness and faithfulness. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, it’s so easy for us to focus on what’s lacking in our lives. Mea Culpa. Worst yet, we blame God for the evil that happens, forgetting that humans are responsible for the evil, not God.
I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In darkest night, You are close like no other
Yes, He is always with us, and His mercy never fails even in the darkest hours. In fact, I think His mercy becomes more evident during the darkest days. I suspect that David, Martin Luther, the Wesleys, and many others would agree with me.
In these dark days of war and world tumult, let us follow their example and sing of the goodness of God.
His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness, even - no, especially in the darkest days of His story.
[i] Yet, God was good, giving him and his wife Anna two daughters. His descendants continue to minister to the people in Jerusalem.