God is Good Because He is Sovereign.

Peyto Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta Photographer: Tobias Alt

“When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.” Charles Spurgeon

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6,7

God is good because He is sovereign. God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (all present). The scriptures are exceedingly clear on these characteristics of God. There are too many scriptures to put here, but we see it clearly in one verse in Mathew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

The fact that God is all powerful should be a comforting idea for those who love him. This should be comforting because we know what our future is, and we know our future is secure in God. What is our future? Redemption, and reconciliation with God. We see God is building a city for us not built with human hands, in which we will have renewed bodies, full of health, with no pain or sickness. We look forward to a great feast, that will features stories, restored relationships, testimonies, good music, worship, choice food, choice wine, and most importantly our Savior. Isaiah Prophecies of this feast in his 25th chapter:

“On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.”

Jesus reaffirms this idea in Mathew 8:11 “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” And the book of Revelation adds to the description of afterlife here:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

If you know and love Jesus, you have a bright future. If your life is hard, and you are a Christian know that this life is the hardest it will ever get for you. Look unto Jesus to strengthen and comfort you now, and look ahead knowing in God we have an exceedingly bright future.