Readings for today: 2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11, Romans 7:1-13, Psalms 17, Proverbs 19:22-23
I love the passage from today. The Temple is finished. The furnishings are in place. Everything has been prepared to God’s exact specifications. Solomon assembles the leaders of the nation. They fill the streets of Jerusalem. He brings out the ark. All the vessels from the tent of meeting. Everything sacred from the Tabernacle where Israel has met with God for generations. The procession heads down Main Street. Countless sacrifices are made along the way. The noise is deafening. There is singing. There is dancing. There is praising. There is worshipping. There is prayer. All the pomp and pageantry Solomon could muster is on display. Eventually they reach the courts of the Temple. The ark is installed in its place in the Holy of Holies. And in that moment the people cry out with one voice,
"For he is good, and his steadfast love endures forever…” (2 Chronicles 5:13)
If you had to boil your faith down to a single statement. If you thought long and hard about how to summarize what you believe about God, you would be hard-pressed to beat this simple yet profound statement of faith.
God is good. This must be true. Life is too hard. The universe seemingly too random and capricious. The suffering of our world too great. If God is not good, He cannot be trusted. If God is not good, then we are left to the mercy of our circumstances. If God is not good then there is no redemption in tragedy. No purpose for our pain. If God is not good then life has not ultimate end. If God is not good then there is no basis for human morality. No objective standard to guide us into what is true and noble and pure and holy.
God is love. This must be true. We are all broken creatures. We all fall short. We all struggle for significance and dignity and worth. We look to pleasure. We look to success. We look to money. We look to influence and power. But all of these fail to satisfy. All of these fade to ashes and dust. And yet our hearts still yearn for something more. We yearn to be loved for who we are. Not as we should be. Not as we ought to be. But as we are…warts and all.
God’s love endures forever. Here’s the good news about God. He is steadfast. Loyal. Faithful. True. He never leaves us or forsakes us no matter how hard or dark the road may get. God is always at our side. From His goodness flows our goodness. From His love flows our self-worth. And because He is always there, we never walk alone.
Friends, these are the fundamental truths we declare about God. He is good. He is love. He is steadfast. He endures forever. This is the only sure foundation on which we can build a life. This is the bedrock on which we stand. No matter how fierce the storms or how raging the seas, we will never be shaken for God is with us. He is our fortress. He is our refuge. He is our strength and help in time of trouble. Do not be afraid. Do not tremble. Do not let your insecurities get the best of you. You are loved by a good, good Father.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10, Romans 7:14-8:8, Psalms 18:1-15, Proverbs 19:24-25