Expecting the Goodness of God
Lord's Day Exhortation
Often, when thinking about the unknown future, we dwell upon the things that worry us.
We are tempted to imagine all the ways in which life could go wrong. Perhaps you wonder if your health will suddenly fail. You worry that your kids might abandon the faith. Or you think you will never get ahead financially. Whatever specific concern it is, you may feel as if you are perpetually waiting for the other shoe to drop, that something difficult is just around the corner.
But rarely do we consider the unknown blessings that God may have in store for us. And seldom do we open our eyes to the blessings all around us right now, and recognize that our Lord may have even more of the same to give.
As our Lord Jesus once taught, “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Mt. 6:8). Before you have even thought of a specific need, or put words to a particular longing, your Father knows and is prepared to bless. Likewise, with doxological praise, the Apostle Paul ascribes glory to our Father, “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” (Eph. 3:20). Our Father is not a miser, but gives all things that would be for our good, even that which we cannot imagine.
So what are you thankful for today? And what do you hope for from the Lord? What good things are you praying for?
We rightly reject a “prosperity gospel” that teaches all Christians should expect from the Lord health and wealth if only they believe enough (or financially give enough). And at the same time, we stand on the Word of God, knowing that the Lord is a good Father, who loves His children, who gives good gifts, and is the One we can trust with our every need and desire—both in this life and the one to come.
Every day you are walking into the unknown future, but you can take heart, because while you do not know the future, you do know your God.
This exhortation was given on July 26, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church Downtown in Moscow, Idaho.