I was emotionally flat and mentally dazed by the crisis. I felt too numb to pray. The Lord dropped a truth about himself into my turbulent thought-world: I am good. I knew that, of course. But he kept repeating it, until he heard me say it back to him. Gradually, what was true in my head became truth in my heart. The focus on his never-ending goodness didn’t change my circumstance, but changed the way I saw it. And it drew my heart into rest.
Exodus 33 shows us another unforgettable day in Moses’ life. God denied his request to see his glory. Instead, he gave Moses a close-up display of his goodness. What an amazing visual backdrop for the promise of never-ending goodness God would make centuries later.
If God had said yes to Moses’ request, our record of his life would end in Ex 33; he wouldn’t have survived the experience. But there was an aspect of glory that the Lord didn’t want Moses to miss: the beauty of his goodness. He gave him a filtered exposure; he shielded Moses’ fragile life from an overdose of divine goodness.
Unlike Moses, we don’t have a personal story to tell of a brilliant summit display of God’s goodness. We don’t carry a dazzling glow on our faces as a trophy of a miraculous encounter. What we have is much greater (2 Cor 3:7-11)!
The moment we came into Christ, we qualified for a life of exposure to his glory. Following the Lord is a ‘journey with a view’, and we don’t want to miss any part of it, especially the unfolding beauty of his goodness.
The Promise of Never-Ending Goodness 
Picture the scene. Jerusalem is a fear-filled city under siege, waiting for an inevitable invasion and ruin. The Lord sends this word into that scene of hopelessness.
I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul (Jer 32:40,41).
The Lord gives them hope beyond their exile in Babylon by promising to do something he enjoys immensely: I will rejoice in doing them good.
In the new covenant, the roof lifts off that promise. The Lord lavishes his full, never-ending goodness on his followers…and he enjoys doing so. As long as our hearts don’t turn away from him, we will always have a fresh story to tell of how good he is.
A constant celebration
Our celebration of the Lord’s goodness honours him, and he has given us thanksgiving as the main channel for doing that. The Lord calls us to blend our thankfulness into all of life’s routines (Col 3:17). He has marked our every activity, conversation, and circumstance in advance as an opportunity to celebrate how good he is.
Trouble in our lives doesn’t mean God has changed his mind about his promise. We aren’t always aware of him at work for our good, and don’t always see signs of a good outcome to an unpleasant circumstance, but his promise of goodness has no gaps. All who love him live with the assurance that he is constantly working for our good in all things (Rom 8:28).
Whatever is happening to us, or around us, the Lord’s promise of never-ending goodness gives us another wonderful reason to live at rest in him. It’s not just knowing this truth that settles us in God’s rest, but our response to it.
- God’s goodness isn’t confined to good circumstances. His promise of never-ending goodness has become ‘Yes’ for us in Jesus Christ, in all circumstances (2 Cor 1:20). Exalt the Lord that he is perfectly good towards you. Thank him that his goodness to you has no gaps, and will pursue you all the days of your life (Ps 23:6).
- The Lord gives us grace to celebrate his goodness through thanksgiving – always, in all we do, and in all circumstances. Have a conversation with the Lord about your plan to blend your celebration of his goodness into all of your daily living.
Note: Don’t miss the expanded video version, God Won’t Stop Being Good to You. I’ll send the YouTube link once uploaded to the Prayer Life Wingspan channel.
