god is good.

"the lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. the lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. he fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them."-psalm 145:17-19

i have been thinking a lot lately about who god is and what he is capable of, and it has been blowing my mind. as god of the universe, there is nothing that is impossible for him. he is able to save, redeem, restore, make new, comfort, open doors, heal, forgive, lead, direct. our god is pretty amazing. yet in the midst of his seemingly busy schedule, he somehow manages to prioritize spending time with me. how rad is that? the god of the universe wants to spend time with us. he cares about the details of our lives.

it is hard for me to grasp that god knows and cares about everything going on in my life, but he does. he really does. he knows my thoughts and feelings, he sees me when i cry, when i have a hard day, when i'm confused, and he wants to be right by my side at all times. he doesn't just stand off in the distance waiting for me to come to him. he gets up and comes alongside me. why? because he loves me. his love never changes. even though i mess up repeatedly and am far from perfect, he loves me just the same. his love is unconditional and based on who he is rather than on me and what i have done. that is so refreshing.

psalm 34 has been rocking my world the past couple of days. one of my favorite verses is psalm 34:18 "the lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." i love that god doesn't just tell me to "get over it" when i am having a difficult day. instead, he comes alongside me, asks what's wrong, and is willing and able to help...if i will let him. god is so good. why is it so hard for me to recognize that at times? it seems so often that instead of letting him do his thing, i sit there, fighting him, pushing him away, and insisting i can do it by myself.

oh lord, please break me down to a place of humility where i am willing to accept your love for me. thank you that your love never changes, and that you are by my side at all times, whether i can "feel" you or not. you are good.

psalm 61:1-2 "hear my cry, o god; listen to my prayer. from the ends of the earth i call to you, i call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than i."