Psalm 34:8 (NLT)
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

While I’ve had my share of crappy life, including losing a daughter, my father way to early, marriages (plural), jobs, etc. These are nothing like the problems others are facing and they are distinctly western problems. As someone said last night – we have been blessed to live in the top 1% of the world’s income and we’re not happy? That’s not a God problem.

Taste and see that the Lord is good, but maybe not good enough for us. That’s our problem, not His.

John 16:17 (NLT)
17 Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? 18 And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”

How can we understand? We try to see how good God is and we look at this tiny spec of time where we’re culled, not in light of eternity. How can we see any pain as good? Anyone ever discipline their children? I know it’s difficult and seeing some of the selfish little brats running around as adults, not done nearly as frequently as it should be – maybe I’m speaking to deaf ears. The fire of life moulds us, it trains us to either turn to or away from God. The answer to the question of “How can this be good?”.

Romans 12:1 (NLT)
12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Body, mind and soul. Let the nicks and scratches of this world be the stabilizing reminder of what we really deserve for living the life we live. Yes, the hard reality of what we should get except for the hope of grace, the hope of forgiveness.

Romans 1:17 (NLT)
17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

How can this be good? We look at power and corruption all over the world in the face of starving people. We look at the violence heaped on Christians and others. Those of us in the west are repulsed because we’ve taken the morals Christ gave us and made them our own. Where that hasn’t happened, it’s normal, it’s OK, it’s right. We know it’s not because of Christ. Because we know it’s wrong, we have to fight to do what’s right. The nature of man versus the nurture of man.

John 16:17-24 (NLT)
17 Some of the disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me,’ and ‘I am going to the Father’? 18 And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”
19 Jesus realized they wanted to ask him about it, so he said, “Are you asking yourselves what I meant? I said in a little while you won’t see me, but a little while after that you will see me again. 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. 21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. 23 At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24 You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

How can this not be good?