So this morning, I was reading Lamentations and this verse in particular stood out to me:
“The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.” Lam 3:25
I began studying the original Hebrew text, and to my surprise, they were the words I had previously researched in depth the last time I went on a translation frenzy.
Darash — To frequent, to resort to, and require.
Qâvâh — To bind together; to expect:— look patiently, wait for.
These words are beautifully paired together to demonstrate how God’s goodness can be revealed to us when we seek him wholeheartedly without reservation.
But the word “good” is what I want to talk about today.
Maybe you’re all, Duh Tailah, God is good. Sunday school 101, everything good comes from him, thats kind of a boring word when we have cooler ones like Darash.
Not gonna lie. Good was not the initial word I was drawn to either BUT coincidentally, I have been reading a book by John Bevere called Good or God? And I immediately knew there was something deeper here the Spirit wanted to reveal to me.
In the book Bevere illustrates the importance of waiting (Qavah) by using a house. I’ll paraphrase.
‘When people custom build homes, I imagine the process of laying the foundation would not be the most exciting process to watch/check up on. It probably gets way more exciting when the house starts to take shape—when you can see rooms and hallways, and then your mind starts to think up all the different color schemes and creative ways to decorate your beautiful new home.
But If you get impatient and cut corners laying the foundation, the house is ensured to have issues. The walls could cave in and have gaping holes running floor to ceiling, for example.’
Thats what I love about God. He is never in a hurry. He is a patient builder who wants to make sure you are the best version of yourself before He takes you to the next step, because He is a good father and desires to set you up for success.
I love that this word is paired with Darash. I can’t express through this little keyboard how happy the word ‘frequent’ makes my heart as the definition. It is not a fake, genie-grant-my-wish kind of word. To resort to. (Ugh wow, my heart)
What do you resort to? I know many times my first instinct when I am hurt or upset is to blow up my best friend Hadley’s phone. Or to go complain to my mom. Or maybe my attitude gets snippy or I listen to some emo rap. Ha. (But actually)
But scripture is actually telling us that when we resort to God and frequent him, he is good to us.
So what exactly does that mean? Is that it? He’s just “good” ? That’s not vague all.
I imagine most people would define or describe “good” as beautiful, useful, nice, pleasant, etc.
Good in the biblical sense is a completely different ballpark.
In Genesis, every time he created something, he called it good.
This implies that God too measures things to a standard. But what if our standards and his standards are totally different?
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 16:25
Good represents God’s perfect wisdom and will. His perfect design and creation.
In fact the Hebrew word used for us in our root scripture (Lam 3:25) is “Nephesh” which is defined as the soul and will.
If this is true, then according to Lamentations 3:25, when we frequent the Father and wait patiently for him, his perfect will is revealed.
Think back on the house analogy.
Maybe your foundation is being built and you’re in the wait. All you can dream about is being on that stage one day, or finishing that book, and you feel stuck.
For all of you creatives who feel drained or like you cannot practice/write/create enough— I have discovered that I am most inspired when I have been plugged into my life source, Jesus.
Just think about it. He is the master creator—so the more in-tune we are with Him, the easier it is for him to download blueprints from heaven into our hearts.
So hold the dreams he has given you close to your heart and hold this promise of seeking even closer. Resort to Jesus. Set him back on the throne of your heart as Lord where He belongs.
I promise you all that worrying about the future and impatience will become bearable, because scripture tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. It says that when we depend on him, he makes our paths straight. You don’t have the burden and weight of figuring your entire life out. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you have the luxury of resting in Him and knowing that He is orchestrating a more perfect story than you could ever imagine.
We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28