Today’s reading is one of those passages that can easily be taken out of context. It’s easy to read that God’s plans for us include good things, a future and a hope, and assume that those good things will be the things we define as good. And honestly, maybe they will be. But I think we’d be wise to recognize that our human idea of good things simply cannot compare to God’s understanding of good things; and it’s likely that God’s version of good is far better than anything we could ever dare to dream of!
C.S. Lewis writes that one of the problems with humans is not that we are hard to please –our real problem is that we are quite easily pleased. We settle for all sorts of small things –when God offers nothing less than the kingdom of heaven! We settle for scrolling when we long for connection. We settle for junk food when our bodies need nourishment. We settle for fleeting happiness when God wants to give us deep and abiding joy. Our Bible reading tells us that when we look for God wholeheartedly, we will find him. But too often we stop short because we become satisfied by a nibble when God wants to give us the whole meal.
We believe God’s deep and abiding joy is available to all people. That means you, and it means the people in your neighborhood and your child’s school and the people driving alongside you on I-235. And if they don’t know about Jesus and what his death and resurrection mean for the world, how can they experience the good things God has planned for his people? We have been given the gift of knowing God and loving him – and we have the responsibility to share what we know with others. This isn’t something we have to do. It’s something God invites us to be a part of because God knows being a part of what he is up to will bring us that deep and abiding joy we are after. My prayer for you today is that you won’t be easily satisfied! That you would go deeper, seeking wholeheartedly the good things of God; and be ready for him to redefine what qualifies as good.
Prayer
Take a few moments to consider what good things God might be offering to you, to Hope and to the city you live in. Ask God how these things might overlap and how God wants to use you in these spaces. Then you can pray this prayer or use your own words:
Gracious God, thank you that you have more to offer me than I realize. Help me to see what you see and to love those who you love. I ask that you continue to create a loving and servant heart within me. Give me wisdom to understand the way my attitudes and behaviors are keeping me from you and from loving those around me well. Thank you for forgiving my sins; the things I have done and the things I have not done. Thank you for Jesus and for his sacrifice. We pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.