My God Is Good

Over the past couple years I’ve been on a journey to really seeing myself as a daughter of God. Not just knowing this truth, but receiving and proclaiming it with confidence. I recently wrote a post called I’m an INFJ – Embracing Your God-Given Personality that tells a little bit of that journey.  In the young adult Bible study group I started, we’re studying/discussing God’s love. And I just finished reading a very wonderful book entitled Servant Sons and Daughters: Serving Father God from a Position of Sonship by Anastasya Laverdiere.

So last Sunday, as I stood in church and sang these words (from song – God You’re So Good):

I am blessed

I am called

I am healed

I am whole

I am saved in Jesus’ name

Highly favored

Anointed

Filled with Your power

For the glory of Jesus’ name

You can imagine why I choked up and could hardly sing. Such beautiful words – they spoke right to my heart. They illuminated all that God is teaching me.

Psalm 23:5-6

You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Friends, nothing much has changed in my life situations. I’m still dealing with anxiety, some depression, and health issues. I’m still in a season of singleness and struggle with feeling alone and wanting to be a wife & mother. I’m still trying to get a steady job, a car of my own, and figure all that stuff out.

But things have changed in my heart. I can say, “I am a daughter of the King”, and it resounds in my soul. I’m learning to claim my identity in Christ. And not just my identity, but my worth, my joy, my purpose, my power in Him.

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

John 15:9

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

When I think … I am highly favored by God. He has called me to purpose. I am anointed by Him. Filled with His power, for the glory of His name … I can walk forth in true love, unbreakable confidence, pure joy, and overwhelming peace. I can walk forth in power – God’s immeasurable power – for the sake of righteousness. To proclaim the name of my Jesus. To shine light into the darkness. To demolish the Enemy’s lies. To do all the works God has prepared for me. To live life more abundantly!

Philippians 4:7

⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

John 10:10

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Romans 8:11

¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Ephesians 1:18-21

¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Psalm 37:5-8

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

As I sang this song, even with my struggles with anxiety and health problems and unmet desires, I thought to myself something like: “Shantelle, you are highly favored. God highly favors you. He doesn’t need you, but He wants you even so.”

Psalm 16:5-9

⁵ O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
⁶ The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.

⁷ I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
⁸ I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

Tears and emotion welled up, and the only way my soul can respond is:

God, You’re so good!

I am blessed.

I am called.

I am healed.

I am whole.

I am saved in Jesus’ Name.

Oh my soul, praise the Lord! Praise His holy name! He is so good to me … He sustains me through all, and even lifts up my heart in joy in the midst of trouble!

Psalm 3:3

³ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Psalm 4:7

⁷ You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.

Psalm 63:3-4

³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
⁴ Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Suddenly, I see that I AM BLESSED, no matter what’s going on in my life. Suddenly, I start seeing all the unexpected benefits and good things in my life right now that perhaps I hadn’t seen before. Such as …

– I’m so thankful I have time to pour into this blog!

– And for the people who follow me and comment! *hugs all you lovely people* I’m truly blessed that you take the time to read my rambling thoughts and interact with me.

– I’m so thankful for the chance to meet and develop close friendships with other women my age/in my same season of life that I probably wouldn’t have had if I was in a romantic relationship/married.

– I’m eternally grateful for the Bible study I go to with my parents and siblings!

– I’m so excited about and thankful for the high school/young adult Bible study I recently started. (And the fellowship and laughter that are found in both Bible study groups!)

– I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to figure out my health issues right now while I don’t have a family of my own to care for.

– I’m so beyond thankful for this season where I have extra time to just press into the Lord and His love for me. To seek Him. To study His Word. To spend long periods of time in prayer. To know Him more. To establish and delight in my relationship with Him before the time comes along to connect my life with another imperfect human.

Psalm 34:8-10

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

What an awesome God we serve. None can compare to Him.

How would it be for you if you could speak these beautiful words over yourself? Blessed. Whole. Anointed. Highly Favored. How would you feel? How would your life look differently than before? How would your view of yourself change? Of your circumstances?

Psalm 31:5

⁵ Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

Psalm 66:5

⁵ Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.

I challenge you, child of the King, know and believe His love for you! And remember the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in you!

1 John 4:16

¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.

Romans 15:13

¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

And if you’re not a child of the King, I pray that you seek Him. He poured out His love for all, and if you turn to Him, He is faithful to forgive your sins and give you not just life but life more abundantly!

Romans 10:9-13

⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

So, in closing, I just want to say this …

Hello, world. I’m Shantelle (aka Lady Grace), a twenty-one-year-old unmarried, (technically) unemployed woman who’s still trying to get everything sorted out, life in order, and find purpose.

But I am highly favored by God. Loved. Blessed. I am forever His. And that is more than enough. ❤

Psalm 65:4

⁴ Blessed is the man You choose,
And cause to approach You,
That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Of Your holy temple.

¹¹ You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
¹² They drop on the pastures of the wilderness,
And the little hills rejoice on every side.
¹³ The pastures are clothed with flocks;
The valleys also are covered with grain;
They shout for joy, they also sing.

(Note: The torrent of verses from Psalm … that would probably be a result of my reading through Psalm and Proverbs right now. There is so much good stuff in there. I JUST WANT TO SHARE IT ALL WITH YOU. Go read your Bible, friends, it’s AMAZING.)

GOD, YOU’RE SO GOOD

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