I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord
Psalm 27:13
in the land of the living.
Pursued by the devil and his proxies, we ask, “Lord, is this as good as it gets? What about the abundant life you promised me here on earth?” On resurrection day, we will trade in corruptible bodies for incorruptible ones. Promises of that glorious day motivate us to press on, but now and then, we grow world-weary. Instead of climbing from glory to glory, we drag ourselves from day to day. The tighter we hold on to God’s promises, the more viciously our enemies prey upon us.
Consider King David, as his enemies sought to destroy him.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
Psalm 27: 1-3
Instead of losing heart, David believed he would see God’s goodness in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). The Lord had delivered him from monstrous foes before and could rescue him again. Even under hot pursuit, David fortified his heart. He would keep running with faith that God would intervene.
Do We Recognize God’s Goodness?
The Christian path is not for the faint of heart; the ravenous enemy stalks and prowls day and night. Indeed, the stronger the faith, the harder the chase. However, we do not have to wait until death to see the Lord’s goodness. He is the God of the living (Matthew 22:32), so what hinders us?
Our Sin
Once redeemed, let us lay sin aside so we can see the goodness of the lord:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us . . .
Hebrews 12:1
Beset means to surround. How can we see the Lord’s goodness surrounded by sin? Jesus was slain (Revelation 13:8) to remedy that. When we accept that truth, we can certainly see goodness in that truth. The stench of sin draws the enemy, but the blood of the Lamb throws him off the scent.
Our Comfort Zone
We hold tightly to what we know. Jesus calls us to forsake all, but letting go of worldly obligations is difficult. We are tempted to look back because the familiar is comfortable, while discipleship is uncomfortable. Instead of total surrender, we make excuse after excuse:
And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:59-62
If we disassociate from family members, organizations, fraternities, or denominations to follow Jesus, we may be labeled pariahs, and many Christians fear ostracism more than they fear hell. And so, what happens when we look back? Whoever tries to save his life will lose it anyway.
Our Fears
We fear what we cannot control. Recall when a young man approached Jesus. He claimed to be upright then pridefully asked Jesus what he lacked:
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter ino the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 19:21-24
The wealthy man lacked in one area: he could not give up his possessions. We do not have to be wealthy to be in the same predicament. Some Christians are willing to sacrifice all but the one thing that could set them free. Trusting Jesus, we will never end with less than we started.
If we delight ourselves in God (Psalm 37:4) rather than earthly pleasures, he will give us the desires of our hearts, not simple pleasures that we dream up—in our skewed perception of what we think we want. When we delight ourselves in him, we desire to do his will. Leaving sin, familiarity, and fear behind, we make room for the Lord’s abundance (John 10:10).
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
I Corinthians 2:9
Friends, do not lose heart! Do not faint for fear of your enemies. What does the Lord have in store for those who love him? Abundant life—here and hereafter!
Make no mistake: abundance and prosperity are not synonymous. To be prosperous simply means to accumulate worldly wealth and success. If we think Jesus gave his life so we could flourish financially, think again. Abundance, in this context, means full of. Therefore, through Jesus’s death, we can be full of life. In place of sin, familiarity, and fear, Jesus gives us abundant forgiveness, faith, and love.
A Life Full of Forgiveness, Faith, and Love
Jesus is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We are no longer slaves to sin—he has freed us from bondage and condemnation. We cannot fear losing what we have because, without Jesus, we have nothing. He sacrificed his life for us and rightly asks that we do the same for him. Thus, we offer our abundant faith for his gift of abundant life.
Yes, our enemy prowls about, seeking whom he may devour,6 but the Word became flesh so that we could see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And on that great day, when we trade mortality for immortality, we shall finally see him in all his glory.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . .
Ephesians 2:4-6
See, the Son of God is the goodness of the Lord, as good as it gets.