Radiant Over the Goodness of the Lord

And they were radiant over the goodness of the Lord. (Jer. 31:12)

Jer. 31; Deut. 30:9; Ps. 34:5 and 65:9-13; II Cor. 9:8; Eph. 3:20; II Pet. 1:11

What Is God Saying?

Jeremiah is one of the books in the Bible to which we do not usually turn for happy reading. Jeremiah is associated with the Book of Lamentations, a collection of five poems that pour out of Judah's anguish and sorrow when Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army. The Hebrew text does not name Jeremiah as the writer, but he lived in that time, and it is customary to regard him as a prophet of doom and gloom.

It was Jeremiah who gave us a message of hope in the nation’s most vulnerable and despondent hour. He backed up his words and his belief by purchasing land in Anathoth and signing the deed in the presence of a court of prominent Jewish leaders, at the very time that Jerusalem was under siege. He also gave us one of the most uplifting passages of Scripture (Jer. 31), which we cannot read without a surge of hope and gladness. God's people would be saved and restored. The language is beautiful and timely.

How Does This Apply To Us?

Read this verse again and again (Jer. 31:12b) until it becomes a fit description of who we are, how we act, and how we react. Are we always radiant over the goodness of the Lord? Beneath a cloud of discontent, radiance cannot shine through. Weighed down with worry and a lack of trust, our faces reveal that we are troubled and not trusting in the Lord. We cannot be radiant over the goodness of the Lord if we envy what others have and are, drifting away from the overflowing goodness of the Lord to us. It is his goodness that makes and keeps us radiant—the goodness of his love and forgiveness, his faithful provision, and his Living Word.

Thinking of God's goodness, thanking him for his goodness, trusting in his goodness, and sharing his goodness, we will be radiant. Since God is always good, we can be always radiant. Are we?

Pray With Me

Dear Lord, the secret of my joy is your goodness. You are the source of all goodness and the mercy that follows me all the days of my life. I do not need to lose that radiance which has its origin in Your blessing. Since you are always good, I can be always radiant. Yet, there are times when I am not radiant. Is it a lack of trust that I have allowed to pass over my face like a cloud? Is it an unforgiving spirit toward someone who has offended me, as if my contentment were dependent on how others treat me? Whatever comes between us, Lord, to prevent the light of Your goodness from being reflected in the radiance of my life, whatever it is, whenever it is, however it is, please, Lord, remove it.

I recall how the face of Moses shone because nothing was allowed to come between him and the goodness of Your presence. Lord, it was a reflection, but it was evidence of the reality of Your goodness. I want to have more of that in my life for Your glory, not for mine. As the shining face of Moses was the by-product of being in Your presence, so let the radiance of my life be the by-product of abiding in Your love and truth.

Let my face shine with hope as with the dawn. Let the radiance of my life be the evidence of Your love. In the name of Him who rose in radiant power and lives to intercede in love. Amen.

Moving On In The Life of Prayer

As Moses' face shone with radiance after he was alone in the presence of the Lord, in prayer, we are emptied of self and its problems, flooded with the light of the Lord, lifted by the power of the Lord, and warmed by the love of the Lord.