Paul Tripp recently used the following illustration to point us to the good life God desires for us in Psalm 27.
Imagine a little child running to the house once afternoon and saying to his mom, “Mommy, I am hungry…I want a candy bar, a can of soda, and a bowl of ice cream.” Now pretend that you respond, “I’ll make you a peanut butter sandwich with some apple slices on the side.” There’s a good possibility that your child won’t run over to his neighbor friend’s house and say, “You won’t believe what a good Mom I have…I asked for unhealthy treats and she responded by giving me things that were much better.” Probably the more likely scenario is that the child would immediately protest to his mother, “I don’t want peanut butter…I want candy…why can’t I have candy?” At this moment your child doesn’t think of you as the definition of parental goodness!
Being confident of the goodness of the Lord shouldn’t be confused with an assumption that because God is good, he’ll give me the things that I’ve set my heart on. In his grace, God is freeing you from the small confines of your little definition of what’s good so that you can experience the huge and satisfying good that he’s planned for you. Grace welcomes me to experience what is eternally right, true and good. Grace invites me to good that I could never have imagined, deserved, or earned.
Let your heart leap today toward your good God.