Hope In God's Goodness

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)

There was a time when someone spoke Psalm 27:13 over me, praying “that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” Not just someday in heaven. Not just once I was free from the pain of this world. Here. In the middle of the brokenness I was drowning in.

At the time, I couldn’t receive it. I couldn’t even imagine it. I believed in God’s goodness … for other people. For the ones whose prayers seemed to get answers, whose lives looked stitched together. But not for me. The absence of joy felt like a final verdict in my life, and all I could see was sorrow. Hopelessness kept me stuck, rooted in despair.

Hannah knew that kind of sorrow too. We see in 1 Samuel 1 how she longed for a child, but year after year, her womb remained closed. In her anguish, she poured out her soul before the Lord - weeping bitterly, praying silently. But Hannah kept showing up. She believed, even in her pain, that she would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And in time, she did. She gave birth to Samuel, who would become one of Israel’s greatest prophets.

In fact, Samuel anointed King David, whose words in Psalm 27 echo Hannah’s story. She could have let the silence of unanswered prayers convince her that God had forgotten her. But instead she clung to hope. And she witnessed God’s goodness.

Hope can feel fragile when life is loud with pain. Sometimes it seems safer to brace ourselves for disappointment than to believe God’s goodness might actually break through in our lifetime, in our story, in our ache.

Maybe, like me, you’ve found yourself in that gray space where it feels like hope has packed its bags and moved on without you. You still whisper prayers, or maybe even shout, but heaven seems to hold its breath. You hear others testifying to answered prayers and overflowing blessings, and you quietly wonder, What about me?

Psalm 27:13 offers a lifeline: “I would have despaired had I not believed …”

What did David believe? That goodness was coming. Not just in eternity but here. On this side of heaven. God is not done. This chapter isn’t the whole story.

It’s not easy to cling to hope sometimes. But even if you’re in a season of silence or sorrow, may this be a sacred moment of trust, an act of gentle defiance against despair. May you dare to believe, even with trembling hands, that goodness is still chasing you down. Even now. Especially now.

Lord, when my heart feels thin and hope feels far away, steady me again with the promise of Your goodness. Remind me, like You reminded Hannah, that You see every silent prayer and every hidden ache. Help me cling to You with quiet courage, believing I will see Your goodness. Lift my eyes, strengthen my spirit, and let hope rise again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Tabitha Yates

Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"

Trusting God When You Are Tired Of Trying

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."

Jeremiah 31:3

That morning, I picked up my phone off the nightstand with dread. Anxiety filled me at what I knew I would find there - other people enjoying their lives while I cried about mine.

Lord, am I going to feel like this forever?

I made a mental list of what I felt like I could no longer handle: battling relentlessly with my mental health, juggling two kids under 5, my husband’s unforeseen job loss, the sudden passing of my father-in-law, and ongoing financial pressures - just to name a few things.

There was no relief in sight, and it was hard not to feel frustrated, fed up, and forgotten by God. My soul was exhausted, and I was tired of trying. It seemed I had prayed every prayer I knew how to pray and studied every scripture about my circumstances. And yet nothing seemed to change.

Maybe you know this season all too well. You’ve been hurting deeply for so long. You expected to handle this better, to be stronger when everything came crashing down. But it’s OK that you’re feeling weak and unsure. God wants you and me to let go of having to figure it all out and instead let Him do what He does best: save us.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites never expected their freedom journey away from slavery to take so long or be so hard. But God took them through the wilderness to teach them dependence on Him and ultimately bring them into the good land He had prepared for them.

In reference to that time, the Lord said: “The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.” The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. 
(Jeremiah 31:2-3).

God hears our cries for deliverance. He has grace for us in our wilderness.

As I walked through my own wilderness, I realized that all the things I thought were breaking me, God was using to make me more like Jesus. I was exhausted because I believed it was all up to me. But as I chose to trust God to hold my broken heart and I received His grace each day, He revealed the good plans He had all along.

Will we dare to remember the heart of God when we don’t understand why He’s not fixing our most hurtful situations? Will we trust that we’ll find grace in our wilderness? Will we believe that God has rest for our worn-out souls and that He will never stop loving us?

Regardless of how we feel, we can stand in confidence that God will continue to be faithful.

Lord, thank You for hearing my exhausted prayers when life feels like it’s just too much and I’m desperate for solutions. Help me to hold on to You in faith and to stand on the truth of who I know You to be: a good, faithful, and loving Father who always has my best in mind. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

- Ashley Morgan Jackson
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"