I believe many Christians have once in their lifetime wondered whether God is really good as we commonly shout it in the popular chorus: “God is good, all the time; and all the time, God is good”. The death of a relative or friend, His seeming deaf ears to your prayers, blindness to your struggles, and indifference towards your feelings and circumstances or that of a beloved. Yes, we all have those things which hit hard at us; and we can not “think far”, not to talk of reconciling them with the statement from preachers and sympathisers: “God knows best”, “God is good”.
The goodness of God however is His nature and attribute, not dependent on or conditioned by our circumstances. It is not subject to our experiences or opinions. Those who see it, settle with it, believe it, experience it. It is what He is at all times, in all His dealings towards all His creations. Unfortunately, sometimes our myopic expectations and interpretations cloud our judgement and perception of God’s goodness. May God help us to see Him as He truly is.
So here are a few of what we mean when we say God is good. He is not wicked, biased or seeking to outsmart or take advantage of you. For what? He has no evil or bad intentions towards you or anyone; all His plans for you are good. He can’t do wrong or harm. God will never withhold good from you; He will never deny you what is rightfully yours. The good God never rewards with evil; He is too holy for that. His way, choices, permissions, and decisions are perfect; trustworthy, and for the good of His people- that is, in their best interest.
God has our interests, well-being, and ultimate good at heart; and He works only at that. Even His rebukes and corrections are transformative, not punitive. The good God doesn’t tempt us-can you imagine? He doesn’t lead us into sin. He doesnt smile at our sufferings, He permits them on purpose- His glory and our good. God is good because He’s able to turn or work evil out for our good. And hey, I believe His all-knowing attribute (which affords Him full comprehension of everything and their outcome), plus His all-powerful status qualifies Him to be good and good towards us. With the benefit of hindsight, foresight and insight, He’s able to work to our advantage. The good God is benevolent and kind; giving us what we dont deserve and sparing us of what we sometimes deserve.
When we say God is good, we mean He’s able to take the good and bad that life, the world and even the enemy throws at us, to make something good for us and His glory. When you face things you didn’t see coming, when you’re not sure how things are going to turn out, please stay in peace. Be still and know that your God is good. He knows it all; He has it all figured out for your good and His glory.
Written by Pastor Gideon Gyasi-Obodai
APOSA-UCC
Leave a Reply