A Thankful Past & Confident Future

This is the second entry in the Hope In the Land of the Living series. In the article introducing this series great time was spent revealing the context of Psalm 27:13 as found in the book of Exodus. In summary I proposed that the Psalmist was not referring to God's "goodness" in a sense of fulfilling wants that a person might have but rather the confidence he had that he would experience the mercy and rescue of God. Despite his sinful humanity, the enemies who were pursuing his life, and the isolation he was experiencing, David believed that there was hope because of the goodness that Yahweh had shown countless times to His chosen ones.

Despite the fact that this passage has been misused in an attempt to give hope to those in seasons of waiting it is actually an incredibly appropriate passage to offer those who are struggling. Let us now look at the book-ends of past and future as we seek to understand the True Hope it refers to.


"Grace is eternal because it will take that long for God to spend
inexhaustible stores of goodness on us."
~ John Piper

Thankfulness for the Past

I was born into a long line of followers of God. Four generations prior to my birth some of my family members died for their belief that Jesus Christ was the Way to a relationship with God, the Truth that satisfies, and the only One who could bring spiritual Life. Some may conclude that such a heritage conditioned my mind to believe the same and that I was brainwashed into being religious. I can confidently say that those individuals have never seen my stubborn, non-conformist streak. I knew from an early age that I was a sinner without the need to be told. The amount of discipline I accrued in the elementary years of life left no doubt. I knew from everything around me, as well as within myself, that there was a God and I had no doubt that I deserved every lightening bolt He ever wanted to throw at me. In a state of perpetual fear I followed the only method I knew and did everything in my power to please Him. I prayed, I "committed my life" to Him, I tried to read my Bible and obey my parents. And, though at times I got awfully close, I made sure I never murdered my little sister. Yet, at the end of the day I would lie in bed and know in my little mind that I hadn't measured up to God's standard. I had missed the target that He had set and even my best efforts couldn't please Him. I had been taught that a relationship with God and forgiveness of sin came only through the fact that Jesus had lived a perfect life, died on the cross to pay for my sin, and had risen again to give me hope. However, I was still capable of displeasing God and breaking my relationship with Him with every sinful thing I did. I wouldn't lose my salvation but I would lose my Father God's interest. Who wants to live eternally with a God who wants nothing to do with them? The years passed and by the age of fifteen I was tired and frustrated. I was sick of trying to please a God with impossible standards. I was too smart to spend my life doing the same thing every day and expecting different results. This was stupid. It was at this crux in my life that God ordained for a youth pastor to challenge my thinking and explain the very issues I was wrestling with. One word changed everything: Grace. Despite my unworthiness, God had looked on me with undeserved favor and had offered me the enrobing pure blood of His Son simply because He wanted to. For the rest of existence my mistakes, my human body, every sinful part of me was covered by the purity of His Son and when God looked on me Christ is Who He would see. I was a part of His family and He loved me for no other reason than that He wanted to and had paid for this slave to sin to redeem me and make me His child. This was the forgiveness, mercy, favor and God that I so desperately was longing to know. Life hasn't been unquestionably smooth since but there is no doubt in my mind that I have experienced and seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. He has taken my life from one of darkness and despair, run by my own desires and cravings, and has transferred me into His glorious light. My will, though once in bondage to things that only left me unsatisfied and empty, is now tied to the only One who could give freedom. I have a valuable purpose and this goodness and mercy has produced a great thankfulness that will only grow as eternity passes.

Confidence for the Future

I am reserving the topic of the present goodness of God as the final piece to this series considering I have too much to say on the topic to cover it in full here. Having looked at the past goodness of God in the forms of mercy, forgiveness, and salvation we can now turn to the hopeful future that awaits all believers. There are times in our present reality that we wonder if the pain and exhaustion will be worth it all. I can assure you that it will be. "But what if I mess up too many times?," you may ask. "What if the storm becomes to much and I can't hold on?" I have struggled through these same questions and have come to the same conclusion time after time. He will hold you fast. The goodness of God in salvation was not dependent upon anything that you have done and it does not rest dependent on anything that you will do in the future. To be clear this does not grant license for sinful behavior but it does give freedom to live in grace without fear that God will cease to complete the good work He has begun in you. As to the storms of life, sometimes they will come with such a rage that you cannot hold on and you will collapse in utter exhaustion. Yet this very thing is what was ordained with the intention of showing you that He alone is your strength, sufficiency, and goodness. Everything done in your own strength will fail. Even still, we look to the future knowing that He will give us the ability to endure with patience the course that is set before us. When that race is finished there is an eternity of life everlasting in perfect unity with our Father. An everlasting life where we will experience the goodness of God in an incomprehensible way while in a land of life beyond anything we have ever known. A life that will make our current life seem like death. Ezekiel 26:20 is an interesting passage. Nestled in among destruction and promises of utter desolation toward those who reject God is a hope filled promise of this coming life. No longer will the land of the living be a place of death, destruction, pain and sorrow. Rather, God will remove all of that and, "will set beauty in the land of the living." Revelation 21:3-4 gives us a glimmer of this when it says, "I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'"

If you recall from the introductory article in this series, Exodus 33 and 34 were a turning point of a renewed covenant being made with Israel. A covenant that God would do incredible things in their midst as He would dwell with them. Revelation 21 is the ultimate fulfillment of this promise as He will dwell with His forgiven, pure people in perfect unity as their God. Is this not the incredible hope that is being spoken of in Psalm 27? Do you truly desire to simply have God give you everything you want on this earth and then settle for that perceived "goodness"? If God has chosen not to give you those things it is because He would cease to be good by giving you something that is less than best. Is that a shallow hope worth clinging to? Or would you rather be astounded by the true goodness of God. A goodness which brings you from death to life. A goodness which provided a once done forgiveness for all of your sin. A goodness which will one day take your breath away when you finally dwell face to face with God. God's goodness in the past through salvation allows us to look ahead with confidence and boldly state, "...I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!" ~ Ps 27:13