I frequently become disheartened about the state of the earth when reading headline after headline in the news displaying stories of violence, abuse, and brutality. Everywhere I look, darkness, injustice, and hopelessness prevail. Such feelings often become a deep longing for the new heaven and earth discussed in Revelation 21, where no death, sorrow, crying, or pain will exist. God’s dwelling place will be among His people, and He will dwell with them, making everything new. Goodness in the land will reign.
Amid such despair, however, I’m comforted by the psalmist’s words. He would have felt hopeless if not for the confidence that he would see God’s goodness in the land of the living.
As occupiers of the land of the living, the psalmist’s words can fill us with hope and encourage us to look deliberately for the Lord’s goodness around us. Although horrific stories may litter the news, we do not lose hope in our immediate circumstances. Instead, we anticipate the new heaven and earth. Yet God’s goodness surrounds us now, and He actively works in our present world.
When we ask our good God to open our eyes to His goodness in our lives and world, He will fulfill that request and help us act as conduits to share His goodness with a world hungering for His love and desperate for the hope found in Him alone. We can maintain courage and be of good heart, confident that we have seen and will continue to see the goodness of the Lord in our land.
Ask God to use you to share His love, truth, and hope with a broken world.
Emily Marszalek enjoys the simple pleasures in life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Nick and their two Goldendoodles, Charlie and Lucy. She loves jigsaw puzzles, animals, rock music, and all flavors of birthday cake.