History Books in 90 Days: 2 Kings 18-19
The Goodness of God
Psalm 119:68 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees (NLT)
Often our sin keeps us from believing that God is good. Sin makes us self-conscious and can
breed in us an unhealthy fear. Often these fears cannot be overcome in a day. The sinner
must come before the Lord not trusting in His own merit but trusting in the loving-kindness,
the goodness of the Lord. God will not hold your past against you if you are truly repentant!
Many people fear approaching God after they have done a really bad sin – they wonder how
God will treat them, what He will say to them, how He will act toward them. The hypocritical
and insincere will find Him cold and aloof but the repentant will find Him merciful; the selfcondemned
will find Him generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly; to the poor in
Spirit He is forgiving; to the ignorant He is considerate; to the weak He is gentle; to the stranger,
hospitable. Our own attitudes determine how we receive Him. Though His goodness and
kindness is infinite, God will not force Himself upon us. If we want to be welcomed as the
Prodigal was welcomed then we must approach Him as the Prodigal came, in complete humility,
and there will be a feast of welcome for us, music and dancing as the Father takes back His
child! The greatness of God rouses fear within us but His goodness encourages us not to be
afraid of Him. To fear the Lord and not be afraid – that is the great paradox of the Christian
faith.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. How do you view God? Do you find Him cold or insincere or forgiving and merciful? Ask
the Lord to give you a word, thought or picture of your view of Him. Then ask Him why you
feel that way about Him. Ask Him how you can break down these barriers to have a right
view of God.
2. Ask the Lord to give you a heart of humility, one that comes to Him in meekness. Ask Him
to show you areas of hidden pride in your life. Confess these areas of pride as sin, asking
Him to forgive you.
3. Finally, ask the Lord let His goodness transform your heart so that you can feel His love
towards you and not be afraid of Him in spite of His greatness.
