Who He is...

“You are good and do good…” Psalm 119:68

What a wonderful reminder for us this morning; what a superlative place for us to start our week. God, You are good and You do good. Here, in the midst of this longest psalm and most lengthy chapter of the bible, our writer extols the Lord for His goodness with a statement so simple, yet one that is significant for our soul to grasp: God is good and He does good.

In this psalm that beautifully praises God for the gift of His word, we see the psalmist offer up the obvious…God is good. Scripture’s role is clearly seen here. It helps us learn and understand the nature of our Heavenly Father. It allows us to gaze and glory in the fullness and perfection of His character. Through His revealed word, we see that God is patient and loving, gracious and merciful, full of kindness and compassion, forgiving, enduring, constant in His pursuit of our affections, and consistent in His dealings with us. He is abundantly so much more than we could ever imagine; as far as the heavens are above the earth, our God is bountifully better towards us than what we could ever deserve. Not just sometimes, but at all times and in every way, God is good. Good is not a mere description of God, but it is that which He personifies.

This fact is inescapable: God is good! Every page of our Holy Scripture points to this profound truth. However, there is more joy to be found, for God’s goodness is not merely something we read about, it's something we experience. The psalmist says, “You are good and You do good.” The Bible is not only provided so that we might celebrate stories of old – how the Lord was faithful with Israel or the apostles. Rather, it is also given us that we might have a framework for understanding the incredible ways our Savior is at work in our own lives today. God’s word paints pictures of how our Majestic One deals with His own; it details how God is glorified through His creation. Though not considered of much worth by the world, we see historically that our Father has been well pleased to make Himself known to and through the humble and ordinary.

The Word may help us describe His precious provision, but ultimately it is given so that we might experience the One exalted throughout the text. The point is that we would not only agree with the first portion of the verse, though God indeed is good, but that the truth of the second half would reign in our hearts as well – and He does good. The Savior set us free! His Spirit comforts us; He directs our path! We have tasted such unmerited favor! We have seen and heard and felt His amazing grace! While so many promise attention, care, and concern they can never fully provide, God has proven His love and continues to display the all-sufficiency of Himself over and over and over as the One who is good and does good!

Might we see His unrelenting, never-failing love this morning. May we consider His character and nature as something that is more than a spiritual ideal and notice His goodness in action today. As David notes elsewhere, might we also see that apart from God, we have no good (Psalm 16:2). Father, You are good and do good. May this truth resonate with us this morning.

Matt Fowler
Assoc. Pastor of Missions & Students
matt@nbchurch.info
@fattmowler