"I am still confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13)
What is "The Good Life"?
What would it look like if you could paint a portrait of your version of the "good life"? What's the golden personal dream that fills your mind when you say, "If only I had...."? What's the one thing in your life that you tell yourself would make you happy?
You see, it's very tempting to associate the good life with something physical. Perhaps it would mean living in a certain location. Maybe it would mean getting that job that you've always dreamed of. Or it could mean having a special relationship with that particular person. Maybe for you, it would be earning a certain amount of money. Maybe it would be looking a certain way or experiencing a certain level of physical health.
When you define the good life by these kinds of physical experiences, there's a second thing that happens; you tend to judge God by his willingness to deliver them to you. You unwittingly begin to evaluate God's goodness by whether or not he gives you the thing you've set your heart on. But God often doesn't give us the things we've set our hearts on precisely because we've set our hearts on them. Because we've set our hearts on them they're a spiritual danger to us. So, God is responding to us in a way that's good, even though it doesn't feel good at the moment. It's often in these moments of want that we're experiencing the "goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Because he loves us and is good, God keeps from us those things that fight for control of our hearts and therefore, for the place that only he's supposed to have.
Imagine a little child running to the house one afternoon and saying to his mom, "Mommy, I am hungry...I want a candy bar, a can of soda, and a bowl of ice cream." Now pretend that you respond, "I'll make you a peanut butter sandwich with some apple slices on the side." There's a good possibility that your child won't run over to his neighbor friend's house and say, "You won't believe what a good Mom I have...I asked for unhealthy treats and she responded by giving me things that were much better." Probably the more likely scenario is that the child would immediately protest to his mother, "I don't want peanut butter...I want candy...why can't I have candy?" Your child doesn't think of you as the definition of parental goodness at this moment!
Being confident of the goodness of the Lord shouldn't be confused with an assumption that because God is good, he'll give me the things I've set my heart on. In his grace, God is freeing you from the small confines of your little definition of what's good so that you can experience the vast and satisfying good he's planned for you. Grace welcomes me to experience what is eternally right, true, and good. Grace invites me to good that I could never have imagined, deserved, or earned.
It's nice to have a nice house and a comfortable life, but it's even better to have come to a place where you no longer need those things to feel good about your life. Sure God will bless me with physical things, but every good physical thing that he gives me is meant to be a sign that points me to the good that can only be found in him.
This is the bottom line. The good that God promises me isn't a situation, possession, position, or relationship. The good that he promises me is himself. What could possibly be a better gift than that!?
This article is a resource of Paul Tripp Ministries. For more information visit www.paultripp.com.
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