Episode #108 God are You Good? with Guest Sarah E. Frazer – Reconstructing Faith

Hi friends. Welcome to Good God Talks. I'm excited to introduce you to our special guest today.

Sarah E. Frazer is a writer, Bible study mentor, wife of Jason, and mother of five. She writes for the Proverbs 31 first five app, as well as crosswalk. com. With a background in missionary work and Bible teaching, her passion is to encourage women to start today with a Bible reading and prayer habit. (Yes, love that.) She shares tools and encouragement for Bible study and prayer study, and I'll have links in the show notes for all of the places you can connect with her. She also recently released her first book, “I Didn't Sign Up For This: How to Rest in God's Goodness When Your Story Shifts.” I thought she would be a perfect guest to include here in our series on reconstructing faith.
So take it away, Sarah.

Following God has really taken me down paths I never dreamed would be a part of my life.
When I was 16, I was on a mission trip to Peru. It was during that week that I surrendered to God. I told God, I'll do whatever you want me to do. And almost 25 years later, I never imagined all of the twists and turns that would mean when I said, God, I'll follow you.

From adoption to special needs parenting, from deep, deep ministry hurt, and learning how to live a life of obedience. There was so much truth about God that I needed to learn, especially about His goodness and His sovereignty. Some of these lessons came from the life of Moses and today I wanted to read a verse that is found in Exodus 33.
He's standing on the mountain and he's talking to God. God has asked Moses to go into the promised land and he tells God in verse 14. I don't want to go unless you go with us. We don't want to go without your presence. So God promises to go with Moses.

And then right after that, Exodus 33:18 says,

"Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.'"

Wow. That is like just a bold request from Moses. What is even more amazing is that God replies verse 19

“And he (God) said, I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim my name before you ‘The Lord.’”
And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Before this request, Moses had walked a hard road. Adopted as an infant, he grew up in a foreign household. When he tried to lead the people out of slavery at the age of 40, the people rejected him, and so did his Egyptian family.

He flees to Midian where he marries a foreigner and lives 40 years as a shepherd. At the age of 80, Moses encounters God at the burning bush, and God tells Moses that now is the time to rescue the people. So Moses with his brother Aaron confront Pharaoh and eventually lead the people out of Egypt.

They cross the Red Sea. They suffer hunger and thirst and watch God provide manna and water from a rock. And after all of that, Moses and the people make it to Mount Sinai. I'm sure Moses felt really weary and really worn with all of the twists and turns in his story. Where is God going to lead next?

When we look at our own stories and often the shifts that have happened, they make us question things. They've made me question some things about God. I don't know about you, but my biggest question is, God, are you good? And in today's verses, Exodus 33:18-19, the two ideas that God uses to describe His glory, or His essence, what makes Him God, are the ideas of His goodness and his sovereignty.

God says, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”

God's ultimate control is not very comforting unless we connect it to God's goodness. And a good God who isn't in control doesn't really provide peace for our hearts. But a God who is both good and sovereign helps give us such assurance. And we are assured of these three things.

1. God's plans are never thwarted.
God's plans aren't written in pencil. What he wants to accomplish with our lives will happen.

2. Goodness is always a part of the plan.
Now, it might not feel good. I guarantee there are things in your story that don't feel good at all. But God's goodness will always follow us. We just need eyes to see it.

3. God's presence is always there.
God promised never to leave us. He promised Moses he wouldn't leave them. And in Hebrews 13:5, God tells us he will never leave us as well. Although we might want to question God's goodness, let's have faith like Moses to know that God has never left. He's still in control and there is goodness even in this season.

What an encouraging message about God's goodness.

Again, we have links here in the show notes for all the places you can connect with Sarah and where you can find her book. I didn't sign up for this. As we end this episode, I want to leave us with a question that we can all now take into conversation with God:

God, please show me. What's one way your goodness is on display in my life?

God's goodness passes before us too. I wonder what he wants to show you.

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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Book "I Didn't Sign Up For This"

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