God’s Goodness

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.

2 Peter 1:2-4

When Janice’s husband’s law firm went bankrupt, they faced many financial consequences, including not being able to replace their ancient cars. Janice’s parents were chronically ill in a neighboring state, and she made recurring trips to help them. After several breakdowns, a more reliable car became a real need.

Janice began to pray about the situation specifically: “Please, Lord, provide a car for our family.” Over time, her sense of God’s ability to provide for their needs grew. Months went by, and she began to thank God for the vehicle he was going to provide—in his timing.

While taking her girls to swim at a local water park that summer, Janice filled out an entry for a car giveaway.

Two months later she got a call—she was a finalist. “A finalist for what?” she asked, having forgotten about the entry she had filled out. She was invited to the big drawing but was reminded that out of one million people who had entered and out of one hundred finalists, only one would win.

A week later, Janice stood with the ninety-nine other nervous, excited finalists. When it was her turn, she pulled a key from the basket and inserted it into the car door, and it opened! The car was hers!

Although the example is a dramatic one, the principle remains: our gracious God is intimately involved in the details of our lives, and he delights to show his goodness to his children. Not always on our timetable or the way we expect, but always faithfully.

Lord, for you nothing is impossible. Thank you for reminding us today of your grace and mercy and that sometimes you do more than we could ask or imagine.

Think of how good God is! He gives us the physical, mental, and spiritual ability to work in his kingdom, and then he rewards us for doing it!

Erwin W. Lutzer(1941–), North American pastor and author