Thanksgiving psalm.
Psalm 100
1 Declare joyfully to the Lord, inhabitants of the whole earth!
2 Worship the Lord with joy.
Come before him singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we belong to him; [a]
we are his people, sheep of his meadow.
4 Enter your doors with thanksgiving;
go to your courts with praise.
Give thanks and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His inexhaustible love remains forever,
and their fidelity continues from generation to generation.
One of the first truths that a child learns in the church is that God is good. The simplicity of this statement masks the depth of that remarkable attribute of the Lord. He is absolutely holy and perfect, which means that only God is the norm of all truth. And since the expression of the goodness of the Father is revealed in his actions, all that God does is good and just, for he can not violate his merciful nature.
God is also immutable and, therefore, his relationship with us is determined by his character, not by our behavior. Even though we are living in rebellion, He is still good. As a loving heavenly Father, he responds with the discipline to restore the relationship he has with us, not to destroy us for being rebellious.
The goodness of the Lord is expressed in a multitude of ways. He is our Creator and we are his people. Each breath we receive from God. As our loving Pastor who watches over each of his children, He provides for each of our needs. But the greatest expression of God's goodness is the cross of Christ. What appeared to be from a human perspective the greatest cruelty and injustice, was the only way to redeem humanity from its eternal separation from the Lord.
Believing in the goodness of God is one of the pillars of our faith. This truth fills us with joy in happy times and gives us confidence when life is hard, unfair or painful. When we do not understand what the Lord is doing, we can trust in His love and know that it is good.