God’s Goodness
By Patti Marshall, Session Elder
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him! (Psalm 34:8)
A month ago Vintage, First Prez’s ministry for senior adults, hosted a walk on our church’s “nature spaces” (also known as our former golf course*), God’s generous love-gift of land to us. We called the event Walkin’ & Talkin’, where the goal was to join God in His creation with others so that we could fellowship and share His goodness.
The “walkers” were encouraged to use their senses; to embrace the child within them––hop, skip (but not trip), or even imitate a bird tweet; to become aware of Jesus being with them; to not rush; and to hold their gaze when looking at something and perhaps imagine what Jesus sees in it.
After reading Psalm 8, we all went on our merry way. Some forged ahead alone, while others chose groups of two, five, or ten. Some were in great shape. Others were more cautious. Everyone motored and meandered to or in their own rhythm.
Here are some of my take-aways from the walk:
1) God helps us run (or walk) life’s marathon race with passion and determination at our own rhythm or pace as we keep our eyes on Him.
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith...” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Intermingled with chitter-chatter, laughing, oohing, aahing, and silence were playful whistles trying to mimic bird calls. God nourished souls with His loving presence. His face shone on us in the sun. His rain gave showers of blessings. He communicated with us through the sky, breeze, flowers, trees, birds, and even mongooses. He blessed us with His attention and peace.
2) Our Father in heaven, always near, cares for little sparrows and us.
“… yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren’t you worth much more to God than many sparrows? (Matthew 10:29)
With stimulated heads and stirred hearts, walkers shared these reflections:
“I was forced to look up and out, not down.”
“The mountains reminded me of God’s majesty and gentleness.”
“The narrow ridgelines, towering peaks, early morning light, and darkness in the crevices made me think of God squeezing and molding them with His fingers like a piece of clay.”
“A branch, followed by dead leaves, fell right in front of me. I thought of Psalm 92:13-14: ‘For in Your presence they will still overflow and be anointed. Even in their old age they will stay fresh, bearing luscious fruit and abiding faithfully.’”
3) God revealed His beauty, glory, power, wisdom, presence, creativity, and most of all His loving care. Our praise was an unrestrained singing of the doxology (liturgical expression of praise).
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities––His eternal power and divine nature––have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made ...” (Romans 1:20)
“Praise the Lord, my soul. Praise the Lord.” (Psalm 104:35b)
4) God desires community for us.
We expressed how we yearned for community and fellowship with others. We craved that sense of belonging, trusting, relying, depending, encouraging, rejoicing, and spurring one another along in love. We agreed that life is better when it’s done with others.
With stimulated heads and stirred hearts, walkers shared these reflections:
“I like seeing your whole face.”
“I saw a mango tree and another tree, with roots intertwined, that were thriving and growing.”
These pictures of God’s goodness are but the tip of the iceberg for His goodness is infinite. Everywhere. God’s goodness is not just in what He does; it’s who He is. We saw and savored His goodness.
May this song called Goodness of God prompt you even more to praise Him.
Prayer: Lord of all creation, water, sea, and sky, thank You for making us more than spectators of Your creation. Thank You for inviting us to taste and see Your goodness, Your generous goodness of discovery and joy. Thank You for longing to bring joy and blessing to us. In Your generous name we pray, Amen.
*First Prez’s full access to its property, including the former golf course, has prompted the church to start a new ministry called Hakuhia (meaning “God’s delight” in Hawaiian), a ministry aimed at wisely stewarding the land.
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