Praise God!

Ezra 3:¹¹ With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: “He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!” Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.” [emphasis added]

Scripture says, they sang this song to the Lord: “He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!” Remember that these people had just come from captivity to meet Jerusalem in shambles, in rubbles. They had just managed to lay the foundation of the temple. Note that they did not just say for the Lord is good, which would have been fantastic. But they said for the Lord is so good. How do you say, “God is so good” when all you see is rubbles? How do you say, “God is so good” when you are at the beginning of the fulfillment of a prophecy and the fullness is nowhere in sight? How do you say God is so good when His deliverance ushers in more work and opposition than the land of slavery?

For a lot of people the word “foundation” is the only description for where they are right now, even though God has given a Word concerning the situation. The truth is that foundation work is always messy. So how do you say God is so good? You have to get to a place where even though what you see does not measure up with what you desire, you are able to look beyond what you see to the God that is not just good but that is so good? Why? It is because what God has promised, He will do [Heb.10:23]. Most people will only say God is so good when the prophecy has been fulfilled.

Most people, not everyone around you, but most people only want you because they need you. You cannot go around thinking everyone around you wants you because they desire you. Not at all; most people just want you because they need you. The day they stop needing you, they will kick you out; I am telling you this from experience. Most people are just tagging along because they need you and not because they want you. But the beauty about God is that God does not need us yet God wants us. That is huge! He says, if I were hungry, would I tell you? The cattle upon a thousand hills are mine; I will go and make myself some barbecue [paraphrased]. He says, if you will not praise Me, the stones will raise up their voices and praise Me. In other words, you cannot hold God to ransom for anything. God does not need us yet He wants us.

Prayer:  Lord, I declare that God is so good and His faithful love for me endures forever. My lips shall praise You, my soul will bless You, in Jesus Name. Amen!