LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 136:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

 

There will be no blog tomorrow; I am having a cataract removed in the morning.

 

The structure of this Psalm is unique as the words “For His mercy endures forever” are repeated at the end of each verse. It is an important teaching for each of us to remember because it teaches us that God is good. I do not believe that I am adding anything here because God’s Word tells us that He alone is good. Paul writes in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. I am sure I have defined the word “all” but let me remind you. All means all! Only God is good, without sin, perfect! That means “all” that God does regardless of what it is or what He allows us to face, you and I can face it knowing He is with us as we do so, and we can give Him the praise He desires.

 

Here is the problem each of us face because of Romans 3:23. Because “all people have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” life on earth is not perfect. In fact, my experience is that challenges present themselves each day due to the things I say and do, how I react to what other people say and do; add that to circumstances beyond my control that happen and I often wonder what is going on! Does anyone else sense this? It always comes back around that only God is good. His love for us, His plans for us never change.

 

If the life on this earth is not perfect that means each of us will go through difficult times that we will question and not understand. In John 16:33, Jesus said we would go through difficult times; when we do, we could find our peace in Him. Those times may be due to being associated with Him, calling ourselves a Christian. These pressures we all face are facts of life. Jesus said to face them with courage and hope in Him because “He has overcome the world”.

 

Satan asked God to give him permission to “sift” Job. Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked permission to do the same thing with him. To be sifted means to be put through a difficult situation that more than likely cannot be comprehended. For both Job and Peter, they became stronger followers of Jesus Christ when their “sifting” was complete. And, they were a testimony and better able to help others. As you just read, their testimony is still being used as examples today.

 

There are a lot of things happening in the world and all around each of us; things that just confuse and perplex us. Those things closest to us are always the worst. How do we face them? We trust completely in God who loves much more than we can understand. Is it just that easy? Yes and no because we see and live the turmoil of the situation with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But, trusting that Jesus is with us and guiding us through our circumstances and knowing that He is in control of every situation can be a great help. It is still tough going through and enduring it – that’s the reality. That does not change the fact that God is good and His mercy endure forever!