He has been good

I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.  —Psalm 13:6

Summer officially arrives 10 days from now. As the sun begins its six-month march southward amid days that relentlessly shorten, it seems that summer will be almost over before it even began. My wife and I used to look forward to summer as a time to get things done. We would plan ambitious projects for ourselves and our 5 children. Then, before we knew it, the leaves began to turn, signaling the approach of fall. Where did summer go?  (For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere I realize that winter is just beginning for you, so you have a six month head start to consider these things.)

Life is like that. Time moves quickly. Time also moves slowly. As parents you realize that your children age pretty much like the summer months – you wonder where the years went. If you are like me, you may spend much time saddened by what you could have done better as a parent. If only I could have back those words said in frustration.  As sinful creatures we have much to grieve about. But the reality is that we also have much to be thankful for. In our busy culture it seems that seasons blur from one to the next just as our failures as parents seem to blur from one to the next. The words of Psalm 13 ring true:

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Then after saying these words David turns his thoughts from life’s struggles and remembers the faithfulness of his God.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

The Bible does not gloss over our struggles and failures. But neither does it withhold from us the glorious goodness of God. You can’t hide your sin from God or from your children. But neither should you hide the goodness of God from your children or yourself. You, like David, can trust in God’s unfailing love. Savor that word for a moment – unfailing. My love towards my wife and my children has failed more times than I can count. But God’s love to me is unfailing. There is nothing that I can do to stop the unfailing love of God. Nothing! You need this encouragement to be the parent that God wants you to be.

It is tempting to use summer as a time to attempt to redeem the shortcomings of the previous year. It is fine to be productive, but remember this: Jesus Christ is the one who redeems. Psalm 13 is painfully honest about the struggles of life that are ever with us. But it is also wonderfully encouraging about the faithfulness of God. Has the school year been less than you wanted it to be? Does it seem at times that you will never make enough progress as a faithful parent? Are you perhaps hoping that the long days of summer daylight will in some way help make up for personal failures of winter? If that is the case, this psalm is for you!

Because God’s love is unfailing, your heart can rejoice in his salvation. God knows you are weak. He has made provision for your sin in Jesus Christ. Psalm 13 calls you to delight in the unfailing love of God. As you delight in him, let your heart sing of the goodness of God.

The last words of the psalm are overwhelming because of the simple, uncomplicated truth they convey. You can sing to the Lord because he has been good to you. If you have not been all that you should have been as a parent, remember that God has been all that he said he would be to you.  If you are overwhelmed by the goodness of God to you, you will present to your children a God who has been good to you.

Teach your children the words of this psalm. As you live them each day before God and your children, you will find true light. This light will bring joy and hope to your life even as the daylight hours of summer fade into fall.

Take some time to ponder the unfailing love of God. Then let us know about it.