Receive His Goodness

Written by: Faith Avery

As I packed my bags to leave Austin and move back home to Lubbock, I was gripped with two heart postures.

The first was an overwhelming heart of gratitude for the things God had done in my life. I not only finished my senior year well (despite immense trial and grief), but I graduated from a top university. More so, I was closing my college years with amazing friendships, an unwavering faith community, and memories that would truly last a lifetime.

Yet, as I found myself amidst a sea of moving boxes, I had to acknowledge the nagging grief in my gratitude. I was moving back home. Not only was I moving back home, I was moving back home with no job. Though my heart was truly grateful for my college experience, I was also plagued with the thought that the same four years would be for naught if I had no career to show for it.

Beyond my grief, I felt a deep sense of hopelessness. I had nothing to deliver to my family and friends beyond “Yes, I’ve been applying for jobs” and “No, I did not receive an interview”.

As I taped another box shut, my throat began to tighten with anxiety and sadness. I, who has always been an overachiever, an outperformer, and a perfectionist, felt everything but. When I considered my current circumstance, I could see nothing but failure.

It is with this disposition that I moved back home. I spent the first two weeks in almost complete isolation. I struggled to leave my room. I could barely eat. My spirit was a whirlwind of frustration, dismay, confusion, anger, sadness, and embarrassment.

Somewhere amidst this whirlwind, I decided to genuinely cry out to God. I’d spent weeks praying snarky prayers and giving God pure attitude (and had the nerve to expect Him to honor it). But this time, in the wee hours of the night, I went to Him and admitted my frustration, my confusion, and my wandering.

“God, I’m lost and I need you to show me Your way. Show me why I’m here”. And it was this prayer that God honored. Amidst the tears and groans, God reminded me that He sees me. He is not unaware of my position, nor does He intend to keep me there.

As I thanked God for truly being the God who hears and the God who sees, He deposited another revelation in my heart.

Psalms 23:4-6 (NIV) - “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Though I’ve heard and read this scripture a thousand times, God gave me a fresh understanding.

Even in what felt like the darkest season of my life, God’s goodness was there. Where it seemed like rejection was my life’s seal, God reminded me that my life is sealed with His love. That though I dreaded being at home, my true dwelling was in the house of the Lord, amidst His peace, favor, love, and joy.

Where the enemy filled my head with lies and my heart with dejection, God replaced every space with His truth. That His goodness and favor follows His children. We are never left behind, forgotten, or forsaken by Him. Not only is He aware of our circumstances, but He also intends to strengthen us in them. He will not leave us to feel weak or helpless. Every single day of our lives, every single day, God is with us. His presence takes no days off.

Be encouraged knowing that God is with you in all things. The end of a season does not mean the end of God’s favor. Where you have doubted the presence of God in your daily life, know that His omnipresence is not a concept; it is truth. He is not only good, but He intends to do good for you out of pure, unconditional love for you, His child. Where the devil has written death and despair, God has declared joy and restoration. In every area of your life, despite trials and tribulations, know that God will be glorified and His goodness will never fail.

Scriptures of the Season

• Psalms 23:4-6 (NIV) - “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

• Psalms 73:26 (NIV) - “My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

• Romans 8:17-18 (NLT) - “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later”.

• Psalms 119:9-11 (NLT) - “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. 10 I have tried hard to find you - don’t let me wander from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

• Psalms 121:5-8 (NLT) - “The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. 8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

• Isaiah 43:16-19 (NLT) - “I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses, I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. 18 ‘But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in dry wasteland.”

• ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:11‬ (‭NLT‬‬) - “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

• 1 Kings 19:1-9 (NLT) - “When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai,[a] the mountain of God.”