The Scriptures teach that God is good in both his character and dealings. The 119th Psalm says it this way in a true prayer to God: “You are good and do good, teach me your statutes” (v.68).
Consider with me the fact that everything believers in Christ would seek should be good and all of our deeds likewise should be pursuing good, in fact everything we desire should be good…right?!
Well not only is God intrinsically good but he is the source of all good. Everything that is good comes from him (Jam. 1.17). Do you fully grasp this? I don’t! If I did I would be praying a heck of a lot more!
God is the source and supplier of all goodness, therefore believers cannot obtain goodness apart from him. In other words, without God’s loving kindness fueling his gracious manifestations of goodness to us we are devoid of good.
So how does this impact my prayer life?
As a believer I am to seek to glorify (magnify, or make much) of God in everything (1 Cor. 10.31). The only way that I can do this is by and through God’s grace. So I am then drawn by this theological truth of God’s goodness like a magnet to the throne of grace, petitioning God for his goodness to be sought, displayed and rejoiced in by me.
The goodness of God becomes then a full service sustainer and motivator to prayer.
-1- Request the goodness of God in prayer. Do you have desires? They are to be good…pray. Request God’s goodness to be displayed. (If the desires are not pursuing good…repent and pray for God’s will to be done)
-2- Recognize the grace of God in lavishing your life with goodness. Tell God of his goodness in your life, recognize this divinely inspired goodness.
-3- Rejoice in the goodness of God. Keep your eyes peeled and proclaim the Lord’s goodness back to him while also telling others about what good things the Lord has done for you.
When you and I begin to understand the goodness of God we begin to pray. We begin to pray for God’s will (goodness) to be done, recognizing that good must come from him. And likewise we rejoice in demonstrations of goodness, knowing that these do not come from the ground up but from heaven down. God is the source and sustainer of goodness and Christians are to be those who request, recognize and rejoice in goodness because they know the God who is indeed good and pleased to display it.
