For Goodness Sake

“The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.” – Psalm 145:9 

The expression “God is Good” is said in many ways in many places throughout the verses of the Bible. The goodness of God is also used in songs, sermons, and has become a catch phrase to be used  when both good and bad things happen in our lives: “God is good, all the time, and all the time God is good.”  

Many people have tried to properly define the goodness of God but failed, because we tend to explain God’s goodness by what seems good to us. And there are any number of things that happen in our life that we do not see as good. So God’s goodness can become a mental tug of war between the truths you know and the emotions you feel. So sometimes we wonder how a good God can do some things that are not good. Sometimes we feel like He doesn’t care or turned His back on me. From our vantage point, we see the goodness of God manifested in the lives of others; their prayers are answered, their lives are a Hallmark greeting card, while we remain, waiting on God to direct His goodness our way.  

God is good all the time and all the time God is good. To fully believe that is a daily mind and heart challenge. As I said, we have tendency to attribute our idea of what is good on God. We attribute parent like attributes to God. But we should never attribute human characteristics to God. God is, in fact, all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect in His love for each of us. He holds our lives and the entire universe, simultaneously, in His hand. He does not have to ration His goodness. His goodness doesn’t run out after granting a particular quota of prayers or petitions. God’s goodness shows up in our lives every single day.  Although we often think of his goodness when something big happens, his goodness is present all the time–in every hour, minute, and second of the day, in the smallest of things around us. 1 Peter 3:12 says, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers….” And Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good and do only good…” 

We can see glimpses of God’s goodness in places we never noticed before; We see his faithfulness, we see his overwhelming grace woven throughout our lives.  God is for you. He has your back. And He expresses His love in an expansive, over-whelming, God-sized goodness and generosity toward you.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you see God’s goodness in your life?
2. How can we see God’s goodness in time of trial or adversity?