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Devotional | Katie Mentzel | Jul 9, 2023
The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:9 ESV
Several years ago, I purchased a prompted prayer journal as a way to help provide more structure and accountability in my prayer life. It was very effective in both of those areas, but my favorite benefit was learning a particular way of starting prayer with adoration.
Each month, I chose a specific attribute of God to focus on and spent time talking to God about what that attribute means, what it tells me about who he is, and how I’ve experienced or witnessed that attribute in my own life. I wrote out the attribute’s definition, thought of similar words, and picked one or two supporting Bible verses. Throughout the month, I was more aware of God, had a deeper understanding of who God is, and (bonus!) the supporting verses were committed to memory from reading and thinking about them so frequently!
It is a highly effective and fruitful practice, but any time I chose the attribute “good” for the month, I struggled to put words to what it means for God to be good. I know God is good. I believe God is good, but how do you describe God as good without using the word good? Try it. Take a few moments to think about how you would describe what it means for God to be good.
Eventually the words that came to mind were pure, right, perfect, and all-knowing. When you look up verses about God being good, it is often paired with another attribute like his mercy or steadfast love. You can go to Genesis 1 and find a whole list of things that God calls good.
But I came to appreciate the struggle to describe God’s goodness, because it reminds me to celebrate and recognize his uniqueness. Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” God is the only one who is completely and perfectly good. He’s the only one who knows what is completely and perfectly good for us. In God’s goodness, he did what we can’t do for ourselves, he provided a solution to sin through faith in Jesus. And that’s as good as it gets!
PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, thank you for your goodness. Thank you for who you are and what you have done for us. Give us eyes to see your goodness in ourselves, others, and the world around us. Amen.
Katie MentzelPastor, Kids Elementary - OKC
Katie Mentzel is the Elementary Pastor for Crossings Kids at Crossings OKC. She spends her time teaching 2nd-4th graders about Jesus, preparing curriculum and supplies for kids programming, and leading teams of volunteers who help our kids find and follow Jesus. She’s married to Erik, has four daughters, and enjoys cooking, laughing, and spending time outdoors!
Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions.