It had been a long day, yet as we travelled home my mind found such sweet rest in the verses of Psalm 145.

My Bible has to divide the chapter onto two pages. Looking at the latter portion of this Psalm, I was noting how often absolutes were used. “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.” Each verse seemed so comforting, so full of hope, so rich in promise.

Then I turned the page back to the earlier part of the Psalm. “The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” The Lord is good to all. All. That doesn’t exclude anyone. That all includes me. Me, who is so prone to doubt and fear. His goodness extends to me.

I knew that. But that night traveling home this powerful truth ministered to me freshly. I think I was unconsciously doubting God’s goodness to me because His path for my life was different than the path He has for other people around me. My expectations weren’t becoming reality (danger alert: setting expectations and comparing yourself to others is never a good idea). But does that mean that God isn’t good to me? Absolutely not! I didn’t know I was doubting God’s goodness, but as I pondered this verse, the Holy Spirit convicted me. And then there’s the second part of the verse. “His tender mercies are over all His works.” It is because of the tender mercies of the Lord and His great goodness that He has specifically chosen this path for me. It’s not because He isn’t good, and it’s not because His merciful kindness doesn’t reach to me. Quite the opposite! Realizing this (or re-realizing this) brought such hope and joy to my heart! Verse 17 reminds me again “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.” That word “holy” can also be translated as “kind.”

Truly, it was the Lord’s kindness to me and His bountiful goodness that revealed the sin in my heart of not trusting His plan for my life to be good, and thus doubting His goodness. And since then, this verse has continued to be a feast for my soul as I meditate on the fact that “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”

Let this truth be a balm to your heart. The Lord knows your needs. He sees all. He is always good, and always merciful, and always kind.