God Is Good

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

Introduction:

This message will focus on one verse. It is a verse that says a lot about God and brings peace and joy to our heart.

One of God’s faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me." In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God." Allen Gardiner.

It would seem that in our text, God is giving us a few words that say a lot about Him personally, and that is how we would like to approach this verse. By God’s marvelous help lets consider what these few words say to us about God:

I. In our text we see God Personally.

“The Lord is good…”

Psalm 119:68 “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.”

A. The Lord is Essentially good.

Psalm 106:1 “Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (Steadfast love and goodness) toward them that fear him Psalms 103:7

B. The Lord is Eternally good.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

C. The Lord is Expressively good.

Psalm 107:8 “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

In the blessings that He bestows upon us.
1) In the gift of grace and salvation
2) The blessing of living in a free country.
3) The blessing of being a part of this church.
4) The blessing of free choice in our lives.
5) Etc….

Satan tries to cripple our witness and productivity in the work of God by attempting to get us to doubt God’s goodness.

How often do we stop from our busy schedules and take time to just praise God for His goodness?

II. In our text we see God Powerfully.

“…a stronghold in the day of trouble…”

Psalm 62:11 “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.”

A little boy is telling his grandma how "everything" in his life is going wrong. He’s telling his grandma about his problems with school, family & friends, etc. Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which of course he does. "Here, have some cooking oil," grandma offers. "Yuck" says the boy. "How about a couple raw eggs?" Grandma asks him.

"That’s gross, Grandma!" he says. "Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?" "Grandma, those things are all yucky!" the boy says. To which Grandma replies: "Yes, all these things seem bad by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But as we trust in Him despite the circumstances, Eventually, together all things will make something wonderful!"

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Hebrews 13:5 which tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us.

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.


Every day this world around us changes. Sometimes for the good. Sometimes for the bad. But we serve an unchanging God that loves us and embraces us in all times. Jeremiah 31:3

Jer 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

A. Consider His power to Deliver.

B. Consider His power to Destroy.

Nahum Ch.1

Matthew 10:28 “ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

II Peter 2:8 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

III. In our text we see God Perceptively.

“…He knoweth them that trust in Him.”

GOD IS A GOD THAT KNOWS US.

Psalm 147:5 “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”

A. His knowledge is Indelible.

He knows our every weakness and He still loves us.

B. His knowledge is Intimate.

He knows our every strength and wants to use us.

Psalm 139:1-12
Psa 139:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Psa 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Psa 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Psa 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Psa 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
Psa 139:9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Psa 139:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Psa 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Psa 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.