Believing That God is Good

I am beginning to feel more comfortable here. I know my way around the U-District pretty well and am figuring out how the city and metro area are laid out. I like hanging out around campus. There's a cool view of the city, with the mountains in the distant horizon. 

My roommates are nice people but I don't think we'll really be friends, which is ok. 

For the first time in my life, I am not on a sports team and there aren't a hundred clubs for me to join and I am not in class and I don't live in a hall full of different people. This got me wondering how I'm supposed to meet people and meet friends. I will be joining a church. Once I know my wok schedule, I want to look into volunteering. And maybe I will be friends with people I work with. Maybe. It is very different from my past experiences, when everyone is looking for someone. Here, I'm stepping onto a scene that already exists, and I'm trying to find my place. 

I was reading James just now, and the second half of 5:11 caught my eye: you have seen the purpose of The Lord, how The Lord is compassionate and merciful. 

The history of the faith, the church, is given to us in the Bible, as rocks on which to build our faith. God shows us His faithfulness and endurance throughout history to give us solid ground on which to stand, in all circumstances.  When Paul writes in Romans that God is making all things work to our good, it's not something he's just saying to make us feel better, it is built on countless proofs and providence. It has been tested and demonstrated time and time again. 

And that is the source of our delight and comfort. When we're told in Psalm 37:4 to delight ourselves in The Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. A lot of people take that to mean that if they can just prove to God how much they love Him, then He will give them what they want. But I have reason to believe it is not so. 

I think that when we are truly delighted in The Lord, He overwhelms our desires. We want more of Him and His will. We began to want more of what He wants for us and suddenly the desires of our hearts are no longer distinct from His. We begin to radiate an incorrigible joy, echoing John the Baptist in saying, this joy of mine is now complete.