The Wonder of God’s Goodness

Introduction

One of God's faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he said, “While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me.” In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, “I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God.”

Corrie Ten Boom, whose story of survival in a German concentration camp is depicted in the film, The Hiding Place, learned valuable lessons about God’s goodness in her struggle. “Often I have heard people say, ‘How good God is! We prayed that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the lovely weather!' Yes, God is good when He sends good weather. But God was also good when He allowed my sister, Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie that I thought God had forgotten us. ‘No, Corrie,’ said Betsie, ‘He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.' Corrie concludes, “There is an ocean of God’s love available – there is plenty for everyone. May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love –whatever the circumstances.”

These two stories remind us that God’s goodness is not limited to times of comfort and ease. He is so good, that we can experience His goodness when we least expect it, even when our circumstances are difficult and painful. That’s how good God is.

In a moment, we’ll dig into Psalm 113, but first, I’d like for some of you to help me with my sermon today, by sharing ways that you have experienced the goodness of God.

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These stories about God’s goodness reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

That is truly the wonder of God’s goodness. He can turn even painful circumstances into something good. Praise the Lord!

Now, let’s see what the psalmist has to say about the wonder of God’s goodness.

The wonder of God’s goodness inspires praise and worship (1-3).

This psalm begins and ends with the word “Hallelujah”. I’m sure you know that the word means “praise the Lord.” Who is it that praises the Lord? God’s servants.

That’s interesting isn’t it? The world would never conclude that servants would praise their masters. In the world’s eye, servitude is a lowly, humiliating station in life. Masters are usually looked upon as cruel and unjust. What servant would praise the master?

But God is not like any human master, and His servants, though humble of heart, are not forced into demeaning servitude. To serve the Lord God is the highest honor on earth. The Lord is a compassionate master, slow to anger and full of love. For this reason, all faithful believers serve the Lord, praise the Lord, and worship the Lord . Servants of the Lord should be known for worship.

In worship, we celebrate and praise the name of the Lord.

“The name of the Lord” (v. 2) refers to the Lord’s character, nature, and reputation.

His character is holy. Psalm 99:9 explains, “Exalt the Lord our God; bow in worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.”

His nature is compassion. Exodus 34:6 “The Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,”

His reputation is glorious. Exodus 15:11 asks, “Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?”

Our worship is eternal (“now and forever more”) because the Lord is eternal. The only thing we will take with us to heaven is worship. Do you remember when you were a child, how you looked forward to Christmas morning with joyful expectation. The following morning, how did you feel? A little sad that the excitement and joy of being with family, opening presents and eating wonderful food was over? That is not the case with worshiping the Lord. It is now and forever more.

Now, we should be known for worshiping the Lord. Worship is much more than a Sunday morning thing; it’s an every-day joy and pattern of life.

One day, we will worship the Lord in heaven with people from every nation. Revelation 7:9 “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.” And that will go on forever. Heavenly worship never ends!

Verse 3 adds a beautiful picture, or rather two beautiful pictures: sunrise and sunset.

The word pictures of sunrise and sunset emphasize both the where and the when of worship.

From east to west, the Lord is to be praised. That’s the where.

From sunup to sundown the Lord is to be praised. That’s the when.

Why? Because the Lord is the sovereign ruler over all the earth.

The whole earth is His domain. There was a time when people claimed that the sun rose and set on the British Empire. Now and forevermore, that claim is the reality of God’s Empire. From the rising of the sun to its setting, God is King of the universe.

In the psalmist’s day, this was a unique claim on a god. The psalmist placed the Lord in contrast to the localized deities worshiped throughout the ancient world. His realm spans the world, so His praise should be universal and exclusive. This is why mission exists; because there are places under the sun where the Lord is not worshiped. Mission exists where worship does not. With joy in the Lord and a passion for others to enjoy and worship the Lord, we take the Good News to every corner of the world. We want everyone to know the goodness of God and worship Him.

The wonder of God’s goodness is available to all people (4).

Verse 4 begins by describing God as exalted over all the nations. Verse 3 pictured the Lord as exalted over all the earth. Now we see Him above the nations who dwell on the earth. I like how Isaiah pictures God’s exaltation: “The nations are like a drop in a bucket” (Isaiah 40:15). God is exalted above all nations. His sovereign rule is above all kings. And so is His love. John 3:16 reminds us, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” He loves the world, the whole world. I remember a song I learned in my childhood: “He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole world in His hands.”

The wonder of God’s goodness is unique and incomparible (5).

“Who is like the Lord,” the psalmist inquires. This is a rhetorical question, for there is no one like God. Similar expressions are found in Psalm 35:10 “All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like you, rescuing the poor from one too strong for him, the poor or the needy from one who robs him?” Also in Micah 7:18 “Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love.”

In Psalm 115, the psalmist explains why it is futile to worship any other god: Psalm 115:4–8 “Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot make a sound with their throats. Those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them.”

But the Lord God? He is not made, but is our Maker. He speaks to us in His Word and in prayer. Even the heavens declare His glory. He sees us. He hears us. He smells the sweet aroma of our praise. He heals us and sustains us by the power of His hand. He walks alongside us in our journey of faith. This is why God is worthy of our praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

Segue

After a powerful expression of God’s exaltation and transcendence over all creation and worthy of the highest praise, the psalmist brings God down to earth. It is in these verses (6-9), that we see a beautiful picture of God’s goodness.

The wonder of God’s goodness is personal and practical (6-9).

His goodness is “down to earth.”

First, the psalmist pictures God as “stooping down” to observe and watch over us. This describes one who makes himself low for the benefit of others.

It’s a self-imposed lowness, in contrast to one’s exalted position. This pictures the humility of God. Although the Lord is great and greatly to be praised, He is not distant or detached from His creation, especially the need of His people. Philippians 2:6–7 “who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,”

It’s a self-identifying lowness. To “look down” on the earth is not a search for knowledge but a desire to intervene on behalf of those He observes. He sees our struggles, our pains, our sorrows, our needs. Hebrews 4:15–16 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

There’s a scene in the Gospel of Mark, when the disciples are straining to keep their boat afloat in the storm (Mark 6), Jesus saw them and came down from the mountain to intervene in their struggle. I count 18 times in the Gospels when “Jesus saw”. He saw Nathaniel when he was sitting under his fig tree. He saw a large crowd’s hunger. He saw saw the faith of the paralytic’s friends. He saw the sorrowing heart of the rich man who had too much to give up. I also think of a discarded servant named Hagar (Genesis 16), sitting alone by a spring. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and pronounced God’s blessing on her and her descendants, and commanded her to return to Sarai. So Hagar named the Lord “El-Roi”, meaning “the God who sees.”

God sees. And because God is good, He does more than see; He acts! And because God is transcendent over all, His actions have authority. And because God is all-powerful, His actions make a difference.

His goodness raises us up from despair and hopelessness.

“He raises the poor from the dust” (7a). When I read the word dust in verse 7, my memory brought to mind Psalm 119:25 — “My life is down in the dust; give me life through your word.” God gets down into the dust of our lives and speaks His live-giving Word to us.

I know sometimes it feels like God is distant. Perhaps lately you’ve felt forgotten by God. That is not the truth. We must not rely on our feelings or our circumstances as evidence of God’s presence or as a measure of God’s goodness and love for us.

“He lifts the needy from the trash heap” (7b). That is a remarkable expression of God’s goodness. This means that our lives are never hopeless, never beyond God’s reach. You know, it just so happens that where Jesus was crucified, was a trash heap.

Wheng is a scavenger at one of Manila’s landfills. Why would anyone choose to go to a landfill and endure these unsanitary conditions? Flies are everywhere. Rats and cockroaches engulf the piles at night. Because of airborne toxins coming from the trash pile, three of Wheng’s friends have died during the past year due to lung related problems. Despite all these deplorable conditions, Wheng still chooses to be there and rightly finds purpose and dignity in her scavenging work. Visiting this Philippine mountain of garbage and observing the dozens of scavengers was a wake-up call for me. Like Wheng, Jesus knows the smells of garbage. Because God so loved the world, He sent His only Son to another trash mountain, Golgotha – the garbage dump for the city of Jerusalem. The perfectly clean, spotless Lamb of God was born in a sheep barn and died on a landfill in order to redeem mankind from the filth of sin. The Master Scavenger reaches down and rescues any scavenger who believes, from the toxic trash heaps in the world. We are no better than the muck around us, but He chooses us. And He more than recycles us - He makes us a brand new creation. All praise to the God of landfills.

His goodness gives us hope and a future.

Judaism views children as a blessing from God. Barren women were looked upon as cursed by God. In addition, children were regarded as a Divine trust and guarantors of the future. Psalm 127:3 declares, “Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, offspring, a reward.”

The promise in verse 9 is a powerful promise to anyone who feels barren and hopeless, a sweet expression of God’s goodness and mercy to those who see no future for their lives. God’s goodness makes the barren fruitful, the joyless joyful, and the hopeless hopeful. I love what Paul wrote in Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Conclusion

Live worthy of His goodness. Philippians 1:27 “Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Live a life of gratitude. Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Live a life of worship. Joshua 24:14 “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. ”