God is good.

If you've read the Chronicles of Narnia you will remember the end of the end, where the kids arrive in a land like Narnia only it's bigger, and feels more... real. That is how this past year has been for me. Learning about God's goodness.... I can honestly say I have never questioned whether God was good; but in a way I diminished the meaning of goodness by explaining away things I didn't see or understand...

Now I trust wholly in His goodness. I began, a few weeks ago, to believe that the grace and love and mercy I'd been immersed in would be ending. That it was a season and I needed to get to work on the "issues" in my life. Back to reality. I forgot that mercy and grace are my reality. I had a poverty mentality of God's goodness. And it's when I enjoy the freedom of being made clean, of having authority as a daughter of the King, having significance, being loved and liked by God, that my life reflects Him. When I focus on the old flaws of my inner world, or search out those I do not know of, I reflect those things. Seeking out flaws within your soul never works. God brings things to the surface when there is a grace for repenting. Apart from grace we can do nothing that brings wholeness and restoration.

I can live as one who comes with freedom into the throne room of the king. I carry the authority of being His daughter. I have authority when I speak. I can make agreements with Hope by seeking out what God's promises are over lives, peoples, and places and living in expectation of fulfilled promises. Or I can agree with other humans and the groanings of the earth as it waits for the "revealing of the sons of glory" to bring restoration and healing. I think I'd rather trust God. And His promises are always good. I can perpetuate Hope with my words and attitude, or hopelessness and destruction.

It's so important to protect that Hope. Know when you are susceptible to hopelessness, worry, self-hate, whatever. Know what agrees with what God says, even people. Stay closer to these than to things that perpetuate dissension and hopelessness. There are radio stations and news channels (pretty much all of them.) that I try not to listen to (not to isolate myself from bad news, but to cultivate my awareness of the world in an atmosphere that brings the situation with a different perspective. Prayer is always better coming from thanksgiving and praise than from worry, despair or judgment. It says that you believe He cares and has the power. Which He does. So do you. He shared.)

Do you know that He loves for us to seek Him out, to find what pleases Him like you would for someone with whom you are in love... Women are to be "pursued", as anyone who has been raised in the Church will know. This can be twisted around to perpetuate disempowerment or... other things that don't matter right now. It was made to be a portion of glory to pursue and be pursued, and as with all things good, it has to do with things God likes too. (Did you know you like things because God likes them?)

So God wants us to pray from attitudes of joy and praise (which are not emotions. I often find that i most need to agree with joy when I feel least joyful.) because we have sought out who He is and found that He desires to pour out goodness on the earth and on the world. Then we can simply agree with His power to heal and restore, and things get done so much more easily.

And it's more fun :) Like celebrating before thing you are celebrating has even happened. it attracts the heart of God to the situation. You've sought Him out, found out who He is and what he likes, put on that pretty dress of praise, and meet Him in the dance of Hope!