“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps. 27:13, NKJV).
Do you believe you will see the goodness of the Lord in this life? According to these words from Psalms, being convinced that you will is the antidote to discouragement.
What comes to mind when you read the phrase, “seeing the goodness of the Lord”? Probably most of us start to imagine desirable outcomes to our current circumstances. These are some concrete ways His goodness could manifest in our lives:
- The healing of a family member struggling with chronic illness
- Sudden, unexpected financial provision for paying off debts
- The restoration of a rocky marriage
- A child being born after a long journey battling infertility
- A loved one delivered from drug addiction
Yes. All of these are most definitely overt expressions of how good He is. Each of them showcases His kindness in a dramatic way. However, I’d like to share with you a deeper nuance of this Scripture than what may be apparent upon first glance.
To do so, I’m going to bring in another passage to help illuminate this one. It’s from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew. “But blessed are your eyes, because they see…” (Matt. 13:16a, NIV). He spoke these words to the disciples, contrasting them with multitudes of people who could see with their physical eyes but had no real perception happening at a heart level (vv. 13-15). He was pointing out to them what riches were theirs because they could perceive truth.
Do we have eyes that see? To see with our spirit means to discern, to recognize, to ascertain, to be aware, to understand. If we do have heart’s eyes that function this way, blessed are we! This is why Paul interceded for the Ephesians’ spiritual power of sight. This was so crucial that he never stopped praying this prayer: “I keep asking… that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you” (Eph. 1:17a, 18a, NIV).
Like them, we, too, desperately need eyes that can supernaturally ascertain and absorb real hope. Now, let’s look at Psalm 27:13 through the lens of this vital truth. David says, “…Unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord…” Do you hear what Holy Spirit is expressing? “Unless I had believed that I would perceive His goodness… that I would profoundly recognize how good He is… that I would discern the true character of His heart, how pure, how kind, how faithful is His very nature… that I would become aware of how tender His intentions are toward me… that I would comprehend with every fiber of my being how much He loves me… I would have lost heart!”
This, my friends, is where hope is born: when we can see Him. When our heart can understand who He really is. When we can truly see His goodness, then we don’t ever, ever, ever lose heart. Blessed are our eyes when they can pierce the fog of adverse circumstance and perceive Daddy’s kindness and love in the midst of it.
How we need such eyes! I would encourage you to pray Ephesians 1:18 and Psalms 17:13 over yourself right now, and then every day for the rest of your life!
Daddy God, I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened, that I may know the hope to which You have called me! Out of Your great, merciful love, allow me to see Your goodness in the land of the living!
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Have you had an Ephesians 1:18 moment recently? Where suddenly Holy Spirit enlightened the eyes of your heart and you could see something you hadn’t been able to see clearly before?
Feeding On Jesus 
This is so good. Even after all these years of living Jesus and following after him, I need to be reminded of this every day. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear what is really going on around me. Love it! God bless!
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Thank you so much, Joel, for your thoughtful comment. I am truly glad to hear from you! Grace and peace to you in abundance, with rich blessings on your seeing and hearing empowered by His Spirit!
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Thank you Jennifer 🙂 that was really kind of you. It’s been a bit of a solitary journey with God since I stopped blogging so to hear that is really special and means a lot. It’s so good to hear from you too! I have to catch up on your blog posts! God bless you and I pray you have grace and peace today, and joy!
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Aw, your comment blessed my spirit! I gratefully receive those blessings and speak them over you too! I like the name Joel; it’s my younger brother’s name 🙂
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When we come to a place of KNOWING Who He is then we can spiritually SEE around us in prayer, worship, and bible study HIM. The whole realm of this life heaven, earth and the spirit world are all HIS. Yet as a little child we can come to Abba our Heavenly Father. A great thoughtful post. Thank you Jennifer.
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Truly my pleasure, Faye! Yes, Abba, teach us more and more to come to You as Your little ones!
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God is doing good work all around us. It’s our job to pay attention and get involved in His plan.
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So good, Barb, thank you! Amen 🙂
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Hi Jennifer. I find your post to be quite thought-provoking. So many memories have flooded my mind of the spiritual things God has revealed to me. Early in my Christian life, God gave me “1st Corinthians 2:9” as a sign of confirmation that God is speaking to me (concerning whatever the subject is at hand). It’s never failed me yet. Also, Feb. 9th is my son’s birthday, hmmm… not a coincidence, I presume. #NoEyeHasSeen #JustBelieve
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How cool is that! My daughter’s birthday is also February 9th! I’m going to have to meditate on that verse for her. The Lord delivered her from a coma in 2019 that lasted for 17 days… for such a time as this! Thank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful and insightful comment, I value and appreciate it so much!
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One morning I opened my Bible first instead of the study guide I was using. “Silly me,” I thought. “You don’t even know what scripture will be the focus today!” I checked the guide and realized I’d opened my Bible to the exact page! Not only that, but the verse was at the top of the page. I felt God’s whisper, “Nancy, this verse is for you.” Before I reveal the verse, let me explain that I’d just received some disturbing news a couple of days before. Here’s what I read, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7). My circumstances didn’t change, but my heart did! God’s goodness includes his ability and desire to adjust our perspective, to give us hope.
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This story lifts my heart in a special way, Nancy. Our Daddy is just so, so good, so, so kind in His personalized encouragement for our hearts! I am rejoicing in His love expressed to you this way. Thank you so very much for sharing this, it made my evening!
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I’m so glad the story ministered to you, Jennifer!
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Thank you my sister!
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