Worship: Faith

Good

Good—not in a comparative sense of good-better-best—but in a quality sense, a character sense of good-not-evil.

It is the song of the ages: “The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever, to all generations” and it is the underlying theme of all worship. We sing the power of God, the mercy of God, the love of God, the Great Faithfulness of God and well we should for He is all those things and more. When we sing His Goodness, we sing all of that all at once. It is a great yet simple summation.

It must not go unspoken for it is our hope for today, for this week, for this chapter in our life’s story.

Suppose there were an expiration date on the Goodness of God, a cosmic clock ticking, or a digital clock clicking and His mercy was running out. If this ridiculous scenario were filmed, there would be a panic that would make a run on the bank seem a sweet summer outing.

But it cannot happen.

• The coffers of kindness are full to overflowing.
• The mercy mills are still turning.
• The Gospel is still Good News.
• The love of God lights the sky again today.
• There is no shortage of goodwill toward men, even if there is a lack of peace on earth.

Isaiah provides the order of the day:

“Arise! Shine! For your light has come and the glory of the Lord shines on you!”

God’s Word is good; no academic assaults on His veracity succeeded overnight.
God’s Promises are good; no council of brilliant men has found a way to negate them.
God’s Love is good; no political force can institute evil in its place.
God’s Mercy is good; no nefarious schemers can void it with small print.
God’s Peace is good; no military might can make a dent in it.

God is good and He does not change.

Today we put on God’s Goodness as armor for the battle. We cloth our minds with His truth and brace our backs with faith in His name. We cannot know what the day will hold, but we know that He knows and He is Good. His mercy is in effect all around us, forcing all things to work together for our good.

When events fall out against us, when people who should be helping us hurt us instead, when it seems all of creation is our enemy, we will remember the song of Jehoshaphat’s Singing Army:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

We will sing again the anthem of the Temple:

“He is good; his love endures forever.”

And as we sing the song of the ages, we will step out under a cloud of Goodness and Mercy, falling fresh upon us today.

Scriptures

Psalm 106:1-5
Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever. Who can declare the mighty acts of the Lord or show forth all his praise? Happy are those who act with justice and always do what is right! Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you have for your people, and visit me with your saving help; That I may see the prosperity of your elect and be glad with the gladness of your people, that I may glory with your inheritance.

Psalm 34:8 NIV
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in himand ever.

1 Peter 2:1-3 NIV
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Psalm 100:4-5 NIV
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

2 Chronicles 5:12-14 NIV
All the Levites who were musicians …stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord . Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever. “Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

2 Chronicles 20:21-22 NIV
After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord ,for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

Jeremiah 33:10-11 NIV
“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without men or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither men nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.

Lamentations 3:22-26 NIV
Because of the Lord ‘s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord .

Songs of God’s Goodness
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
Music: Edith McNeill 1974

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning,
Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord,
Great is Thy faithfulness.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Text: Thomas O. Chisholm; Music: William M. Runyan 1923

1.Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

2.Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

3.Pardon for in and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2016 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved