Sunday Devotions - Goodness of the Lord

I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27: 13-14

I don't like to watch the television news. I don't like to read newspapers or listen to the news on the radio. Have you ever noticed how thoroughly depressing current events can be? Wars, disaster, crime. I get discouraged just thinking about it. When I read or hear about something terrible in the news I begin to lose faith in humanity. I think, "God created man with tremendous gifts, yet this is how we choose to apply them? Through crime and hate and selfishness?" It makes me want to crawl back under the bedcovers and never come out.  

King David must have felt the same way about the current events and people in his lifetime. He had plenty of enemies and troubles yet he still had faith that he would see "the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." And you know, once I start looking around the people around me I do see the goodness of the Lord in them.

There were people in our community watching over our house when we were gone over Memorial Day weekend that we didn't even ask to. A teacher friend of ours has watched my kids a couple hours a week over the summer, since she knew I had no family near, so I could have some time to myself. Recently a woman here in town donated a whole bunch of candy to the summer library kids program. None of these things were grand gestures but little things that one person could do for another. But none of these people had to do these things but they did out of the kindness of their heart and not for any public recognition.

Stop and think; in what ways have you seen "the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" lately? It's there, don't worry if you haven't seen it lately. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Dear God, Thank You for giving me faith in mankind. You have given each and every one of us gifts. Use those gifts in us to show your goodness to everyone we meet. Bless those wonderful people in our lives Lord who return to me faith in mankind. Amen.