When I was a little girl, we would hold hands around the dinner table and say this prayer together:
"God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen."
They are fond memories for me, those family dinner times that were always a priority in our home. As we grew older and learned how to express our own thoughts to God, the "God is great" prayer gradually became nothing more than a childhood memory.
For some reason, that prayer came to mind the other day during my quiet time with God. I say "for some reason," but in truth I know the reason: God brought it to my mind. And I was struck by the powerful truth contained in this simple prayer.
God is great!
The Bible is alive with stories of God's greatness.
He spoke the world into existence; without Him nothing was made that has been made. He gave a son to a 90-year-old woman and 100 year old man. His power terrified the Egyptians and parted the Red Sea to let His people walk across on dry land. He crumbled walls. Made the sun stand still. Sent fire from heaven. Used a boy to slay a giant. Confounded armies. He gave a son to a virgin. Healed the sick, the lame, the deaf, the blind. Cast out demons. Raised the dead.
Our God specializes in doing the impossible!
But it's not enough to believe God is great. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all believed their gods were great, and their lives were a constant striving to please the unpredictable, unforgiving gods. Because greatness without goodness does not inspire awe; it evokes fear.
God is good.
Let me give you an idea of what I think God's goodness looks like.
Two weeks into Stefan's seventh grade year - his first year in a public school - I got a call from the secretary saying he had fallen off a swing on the playground and his wrist was in a lot of pain. (Turns out he didn't fall off the swing; he did a back flip off the swing and landed off-balance.) The moment I saw it, I knew it was broken. And the doctor at the Med Plus clinic didn't have to say a word to confirm my suspicion. The look on her face and small shake of her head said it all. Unfortunately the bone was not aligned, and they could not set the bone there. So off to the ER we went.
Only the doctor in the ER didn't set the bone, either. He felt it was "as close as we could get it," so he sent us home with a follow-up appointment with an orthopedic doctor to put the cast on. The orthopedic doctor took an x-ray of his own and told us he was surprised they had not set the bone in the ER. He would have to push the bone back in place before he could put a cast on Stefan's arm. And so, with absolutely no pain medication, Stefan lay silently on the exam table while the doctor pushed on his broken arm until the bone was back in place.
As I sat there and watched my son bravely endure that intense pain, all I wanted to do was take his place. The injury really was his fault. He shouldn't have done that back-flip off the swing. That didn't matter to me. He is my son and I love him. If I could have taken his pain, I would have. But I couldn't.
Before I came to Christ, I was facing the consequences of my sin, and what I was sentenced to endure was much worse than the pain of a broken arm. God looked upon me, condemned to die and face eternal separation from Him. Because of His goodness, He wanted to take my pain, my punishment. And because of His greatness, He could. He did!
Jesus hung on a cross and took every bit of excruciating pain I deserved. He bore the punishment that was mine. That I brought upon myself. Just consequences. But He took them upon Himself all the same. In spite of my sin, He loved me enough to take my place on that cross!
Life hasn't been free of pain since I came to Christ. I lost my dad when he was only 66. My mom has dementia and ALS at 64. God is great. In one moment he could touch my mom and heal her. Give her back to us, like I have begged Him so many times to do.
But God is also good. And so I know that if He never heals her in this life, He is accomplishing a far greater purpose than I could ever imagine.
God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for the work of the cross. For taking our place. For loving us enough to want to.
