The Goodness of God

 

The words “good hand of our God (Ezra)” and the “goodness of God (Paul in Romans)” have encouraged me recently and I hope they will you also. Actually, I am revisiting Ezra just in a different way from another blog I gaveJ.

 

EZRA:

The King had noticed...

7:9 “According to the good hand of his God upon him (Ezra).”

8:18 “...by the good hand of our God upon us.”

...and so the king helped Ezra with his desire to get to Jerusalem...

Then Ezra in 8:23 realized he had claimed that God’s good hand was on him and...

“I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king that the gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him...”

Because of this prior testimony, Ezra and his men fasted and prayed and God answered without the King’s help. J

 Have you ever had to commit a problem silently to the Lord because you had given testimony that He could take care of everything for you? Of course, sometimes we need help from others...but what a testimony when we can solely lean on our “good hand of our God” to handle the problem.

Ezra reports in vs. 23: “So we fasted and entreated our God and...

8:31 “The hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy.”

And God brought them safely to Jerusalem!

Ezra was not proud...He realized it was all His gracious God.

Ezra 9:13 “Our God, You have punished us less than our sins deserved.”

That is exactly what Paul said in Romans 2: 4:  ^“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Recently, I have been in a Bible study in the book of Romans. This verse is right in the middle of a series of verses that deal with many forms of sin from gossiping to homosexuality to murder. How amazing! God wants to remind ALL of us that no matter the sin (oh, yes...gossiping), He will judge us, BUT He will use His goodness to bring us to Him!!

Riches of His goodness... He will give the best for us and to us - through the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, through the Holy Spirit for our instruction, through His Word that speaks truth to us to comfort and convict us, through God Himself as our heavenly Father Who hears our prayers.

Just as Ezra was able to show God’s good hand in the presence of the King and his fellow Israelites, Paul explains that we can show others the goodness of God through our receiving His forgiveness and thanking Him for His forbearance and longsuffering with us. What a promise!

Pray for those who need the Lord Jesus to see the goodness of God and allow it to change their hearts 

Psalm 31:19...Oh, how great is Your goodness.”

--Maylou Holladay