Knowing God's Goodness

Pastor Leon Aguilera

8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9  O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.  
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
—Psalm 34:8-10

If you’re one of God’s children, you will figure this out by the end of your life: God is good. There's no telling what He will take you 

through to bring you to that place. But eventually your value system will be set up in such a way that you say, “The Lord is 

good!” Everything He allowed, everything He withheld, every difficult season, every stretching circumstance, God meant for your good. His disposition is kindness. His default action is for your benefit. You can know His goodness as certainly as you can taste and savor your favorite food.

Psalm 34:8 invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” The sequence of the phrase makes tasting the action and seeing the result. God is saying in essence, Engage all your senses and you will discover, among other things, My 
goodness. Here, tasting and seeing are used to help us understand just how “up close and personal” God’s goodness can be experienced.

In the immediate context, there are three other parallel expressions that illustrate how you can “taste and see that the Lord is good.” They are: 1) take “trusteth in him” and be “blessed”; 2)“fear the Lord and no want”; 3) “seek the Lord and shall not want (lack) any good thing.”

Taking refuge, fearing the Lord, and seeking Him are three ways of tasting. The closer we engage with God, the more we can know His goodness. He urges, “Taste! Sample and see. Find out for yourself that I am good.” God’s goodness is what He wants us to experience. He offers Himself to us!

Psalm 100:5 says, “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Every generation learns the truth—God’s goodness is something He wants us to experience. It flows to us as steadfast love and faithfulness and is present in everything He does.

Even God’s timetable is good, but we may only see this after events have transpired. Our prayer must be, Father, I’m waiting for You because I’ve tasted and know You are good in what You do and in when You do it!

Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” God is not usually quick to answer questions like, “Why did You allow this, God?” or “Why is this happening in my life?” But His mercy and His kindness are over all that He has made. Those willing to keep tasting are the ones who keep finding His goodness.

Growing Faith

Pastor Leon Aguilera

 ⁵ And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.  – Luke 17:5

Ever feel like your faith is small? Perhaps you wish you could do more or be more. Maybe when you look around you, it seems as if everyone else has BIG BOLD FAITH, while yours is just . . . tiny.

If that’s you, then consider these three things you can do that will immediately begin to grow your faith.

1. Believe that your faith can increase.

Every Christian has been given “a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). While each of us has been given a certain capacity to believe, it can increase. Isn’t that great news? Exhibit A for growing faith is the Apostle Peter. Remember what Peter was like in the Gospels? He tried hard but failed, said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and kept messing up at critical moments. Peter was the one who swore loyalty to Jesus then denied even knowing Him (Mark 14:26–31, 66–72). Peter was the one who followed Jesus after His arrest but only from a safe distance (Mark 14:54). When Peter tried walking on the water, he sank, and Jesus called him, “O thou of little faith” (Matthew 14:31). Ouch.

Yes, Peter had little faith and a lot of growing to do, but he made one good decision: He followed Jesus’ instructions, went to that upper room, and waited for the Holy Spirit to come and fill him. When the Spirit of God filled Peter in response to his faith, he was transformed. He preached boldly, and three thousand people were saved. Peter became such a powerful, faith-filled man that Acts 5:15 reports that people “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.”

2. Expose your mind to God’s Word.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). Faith can’t grow without the soil of God’s Word.

Have you learned yet to love the Word of God? “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16). Is your mind steeped in God’s Word? Have you gotten past the discipline stage of reading the Bible (gutting it out because you know you should) to the delighted stage (actually wanting to read it, even craving it)?

The more we wash our minds with God’s Word, the more our faith can grow. When we fill our minds with trashy entertainment, the latest celebrity gossip, social media newsfeed, and other pagan entertainment, what happens to our faith? When we fill our minds with everything but God’s Word, our faith will falter or even wither. According to Romans 12:2, your transformation comes “by the renewing of your min.” What are you putting into your mind?

We must read the Word, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it. Human words don’t build faith; God’s do. And as you immerse yourself in God’s Word, you’ll also learn to . . .

3. Practice genuine prayer.

Faith comes through genuine prayer. Not ritualistic, rote repetition of “Hail Marys” or “Our Fathers” but genuine, on-your-knees, heartfelt prayer, laying hold of God by faith.

“Hmmm,” you might say, “I’m not very good at that. Where’s the seminar on genuine prayer?” The seminar is conducted in your home daily in a private place where you can kneel down. The seminar is given by the Holy Spirit Himself and is available 24/7. If you want to learn how to pray, get on your knees, open your mouth, and ask, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

Prayer has incredible power to build your faith. When you are filled with anxiety, concerns, or burdens, pray. Get by yourself, kneel in humility before God, and in the simplest language you know, talk to your Father about it. Through genuine, heartfelt prayer, you can exchange your anxiety for faith.

So for all those who want their faith to keep growing—believe that your faith can increase, expose your mind to God’s Word, and genuinely pray. You might begin by asking the Lord, as the apostles did, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5)!