God is Good

A young woman
Mother of three little girls
Wife, twice now,
Stands in front of a congregation
And proclaims

God is Good.

She is surprised for a moment by the response.

All the time.

She had said it from her heart.
She truly believes it.
To her it is not rote or routine.
In her life, God has been good.
All the time.
Through all of the challenges,
God is good.
And she knows it.
More than just in her head,
But in her heart.
In the core of her being.
God is good. All the time.

I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, for ever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
I declare that your steadfast love is established for ever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

Do we sing of the Lord’s faithfulness?
Do we proclaim his steadfast love to the generations?
Are our words just the noise of the surf on the shore?
Or are our declarations as firm as the heavens?
Music to the ears of the angels?
Harmonizing with their heavenly chorus?
Or are our words empty?
Is our praise like the sound of a droning gnat?

Do our actions negate whatever sounds our mouths put forth?
Do our judgments drown out our songs?
Do our children hear our proclamations of praise?
Or do they only hear our hatred and bigotry?

When we are changed by God,
When we hear the sound of grace, flooding our lives,
When we open our eyes to the power of God
And our ears to the whisper of his voice,
Then our faith in God will echo in our song:

God is Good. All the time.
All the time. God is Good.

Psalms 89:1-2

Image: From West Virginia Wesleyan College campus, June