Life is Good--Day 19 Through the Bible

  Needless to say, I have experienced many things since this picture was taken.

    My life began with the need for comfort following my first cry. 

     My father comforted me many times 

     and as a believer my Heavenly Father continues to comfort me now!

January 19
I often see a bumper sticker or spare tire cover that says, "Life is Good". But, is it now? I sometimes think about the driver of the vehicle and wonder what they have experienced in life so far. Is life really always good for some? Will they perhaps experience a turn of events that causes them to remove this sign from their vehicle?

Jacob must have been devastated when he thought Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. He surely thought he could not survive his grief. The pages of Genesis so far have been filled with conflict, human struggles, and violence. It started off good. Adam and Eve were living the "good life" in the beginning.   However, as we have read, things changed drastically when they had their first encounter with sin--when they chose to go against God's instructions.

As the children of Adam and Eve, we are born into sin. We are not handed a "Life is Going to Be Good" guarantee when we enter the world. The majority of babies come into the world crying, many actually screaming. It's interesting that new born babies need to be comforted and soothed almost immediately upon entering this world. Could it be this is a preview of things to come? Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, writes in Ecclesiastes 7:1, that the day of our death is better than the day of our birth. In our youth, we would probably scoff at his "wisdom". However, by the time we reach old age, we may be seeing his point.

Joseph's life also had a seemingly good beginning. He was his father's favorite son and received special treatment, including his famous colorful coat. Basking in his father's love and favor, Joseph perhaps was able to ignore his brothers' envy and dislike for him and may not have recognized the extent of their hatred. This changed, however, when he was suddenly attacked by them and thrown into an empty well. He was then sold into slavery and taken from his father's favor.

 I think most of us, at least in this country, view life as a pursuit of happiness and an opportunity to get all we can get and experience everything we can. However, it would be to our advantage to look at reality and ask God to show us the real purpose and meaning of life. In many ways, it is true that life is good. However, as we may have already experienced, life can also be painful and filled with grief.

Jesus has the power to remove us from this world as soon as we are saved. And, He could have protected Joseph and foiled his brothers' plot. However, God's purpose and plan evidently would not be served by either. Jesus prays for Believers in John 17:15, saying, "I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil".  As believers, we are subjected to evil and sometimes even death at the hands of evil. Do you think the American pastor who is suffering torture in an Iranian prison and waiting to go before "the hanging judge" next week thinks "Life is Good"? (Please remember him in your prayers.)

God doesn't want us to live in a fantasy world or be out of touch with reality. It is a fact of life--it is reality, that we live in an evil world. However, that is not to be our focus. God wants us to focus on Him--He alone who is Good (Luke 18:19). The good life Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden came from God. He was the Good in their lives. (Before their sin, they could have realistically hung up the sign that says, "Life Is Good!") The foundation of their good life was their relationship with God. When we are born into this world, we are separated from God because of Adam and Eve's sin--we inherited the curse that includes separation from Him. However, God has made a way for us to have our relationship with Him restored. Because of His tremendous love for us, He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of everyone who would ever live. He extends this promise of restoration to "whosoever believes in Him"
 (John 3:16).

Even as Joseph's captivity passed, this life too, will pass. God had a plan for Joseph all along. This holds true for our lives also. We can rest in God's plan when we trust Him at every crook and unexpected turn that our lives may take. And, just as God carried out His plans for Joseph, we can be assured that He is also carrying out His plans in our lives. In His desire to be with us and to comfort us, He gives us nothing less than His Holy Spirit, known as "The Comforter" (John 14:16). How wonderful to know that although our lives began with a cry, God has already provided a way for us to be comforted. (One of Jesus' names is also Counselor, and our daily reading in Proverbs 3:32 says, "But his secret counsel is with the upright".)

As believers, we are not of this world (John 17:16). Life is not always good regardless of our belief status. However, it is reality that God Is Good. We are encouraged in Psalm 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him". May we recognize and acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives as we trust in Him and continue our journey!