Trust in the Goodness of God  

Sometimes our granddaughter suffers the consequences of not only having three brothers but also of being the only girl among our seven grandchildren. Such was the case last Sunday when the whole family came together for an Easter egg hunt. While searching for those hidden treasures, one of our grandsons uncovered a small frog. I won’t place the blame or give the credit to any one person for the subsequent action because it seems like all the boys were eventually co-conspirators in the plan. They decided to put the tiny creature in one of the plastic eggs that would make its way into our granddaughter’s basket. So when she opened the egg expecting to get a treat, she was understandably startled to be met by a jumpy frog instead.

 It reminds me of one of Jesus’ comments about prayer and the answers God gives to us. “What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11). Here Jesus affirms the goodness of God and His love for us. He doesn’t play tricks on us as those boys did to their sister or cousin. When we come to Him with our needs and desires, He doesn’t ignore them or give us something undesirable or even hurtful. He isn’t mean nor does He take pleasure from our disappointment or pain. God is always seeking after what is good for us and wants to bless us with good things.

But what about those times when our prayers seem to go unanswered or when the situation doesn’t work out the way we had hoped? What about when I pray and my loved one ends up dying anyway? What about when I ask God for something that I believe would be good, but when I expectantly open up the brightly-colored gift, an ugly frog jumps out at me?  The plain truth is that God doesn’t always give us exactly what we ask for. And you know what? We can be thankful that is the case.

First of all, we live in a fallen world corrupted by sin and its consequences. We will face suffering, pain, sickness, and death. God can intervene to spare us from some of it, but He doesn’t always do so. For example, no matter how much we pray and ask that it be otherwise, we are all going to die one day unless Jesus returns first. Nevertheless, we can seek and experience God’s presence and help as we face those inevitable issues in our lives.

Additionally, God knows what we need and what is better for us than we do. He may not give us what we ask for because He sees the harm it could cause or because He has something even better for us in its place. Even what looks like a frog when we first encounter it could turn out to be a prince.

The bottom line is that we can trust in the goodness of God. If we know that it is not good to give someone a frog when she is expecting a piece of candy, how much more is God aware of what constitutes a good gift. If we wouldn’t give a bad or hurtful gift to our child, God certainly isn’t going to give a harmful gift to His children. No matter what comes out as your life unfolds, keep trusting that God loves you and is doing what is best.