This podcast covers Lesson 4 of Everyday Women, Ever-Faithful God Bible Study and Lesson 4 of The Walk from Fear to Faith Bible Study by Melanie Newton.
Rahab—God Is Good All the Time
God is good in Himself, and what He does is good.
Most of us don’t like to wait for God to work. And, we certainly don’t like what appears to be a “No” answer to our prayer! Be honest here. We may say to each other, “God is good all the time,” but do we really believe He is good when we get that “No” answer or that “Not yet” answer to our prayer?
The fact that God is good all the time is a key truth and something we can trust on our walk from fear to faith.
The Bible says that God is good all the time
- Everything about God is good. He is good in Himself, and what He does is good. That means God allows nothing to happen to His children—to you and me—that is not for our good. God is good all the time, and He is at work in our lives for good.
- What about the tough things that happen to us? Someone gets very sick, loses a job, or is in a desperate situation. Is God being good then? What must be the answer to that question? YES! Why? Because God is good all the time.
- God’s goodness has three aspects that apply to our times of fear and pain.
1) God is good even in the tough times
- God is the perfect parent and knows what will help His children grow into maturity. That sometimes includes pain.
- God teaches His children through tough things that He allows in our lives that help us grow up. Those tough things build bones and teeth in our faith. They help us learn to trust God. They help us learn to give up trying to do things our own way—which may not be the best way—and start doing things God’s way—which is always the best way.
- ANYTHING that draws us closer to God and makes us depend upon Him is good for us. God is good even in the tough times.
2) God is good in different ways to each of us
- Through reading the Bible, you can see that God’s goodness looks different in each person’s life. Take for example the book of Ruth. Naomi and her family were starving so they moved away from Israel to the neighboring country Moab to get bread. There they met Ruth. Ruth didn’t need food; she needed God. Naomi shared God with Ruth.
- Different needs were met by God’s goodness. God is good in different ways to each of us.
3) God is good in what He allows or doesn’t allow into our lives
- Not everyone gets cancer, has a serious injury or a chronic illness. We don’t all endure long-term unemployment, lose a child or experience the desertion of a spouse.
- Throughout the Bible are many verses stating how God protected someone in a dangerous situation. We don’t even know all the dangers God is protecting us from daily!
- We should thank Him all the time for doing that. God is good in what He allows or doesn’t allow into our lives.
Depend on God while you trust what He chooses to do in your life
- You cannot move from fear to faith on your own. You must trust God and depend on His power in you.
- Fear says, “I can’t.” Faith says, “God can through me.”
- Fear says, “I won’t.” Faith says, “God will in me.”
- Fear says, “I don’t.” Faith says, “God does for me and through me.”
- You can say about anything, “Lord Jesus, I can’t do this on my own. But, you can do this in and through me. I will trust you.” And, it’s okay to be a little scared because we will rely upon Him more.
Conclusion
We have a big God. Yet, God may not choose to rescue you from everything that is threatening you. You may face what seem like insurmountable circumstances in your life. You may have to give up something that gives you security. You may be waiting for God to answer a desperate prayer. But, in any and all situations, even in the waiting, you can count on the fact that God is good all the time, that He loves you, that He knows what is going on in your life, that He can do something about it, and you can trust His goodness in whatever He chooses to do!
That’s how we move from fear to faith. When we do that, God fills our hearts with joy.
Joyful Walk Bible Studies by Melanie Newton are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.