The Goodness of God

“Good” is a word that we use often in our everyday conversations. We “have a good day”, “watch a good movie”, “enjoy a good meal”, etc. It’s truly a part of our everyday speech and why not? The Lord created this entire world and there is much goodness to be enjoyed!

Even as I use “good” in these familiar contexts, my thought turns to what good means when referring to God. Is the goodness of God just like the goodness of a cheesecake or a “good evening out”—but to a more heightened degree? Surely, there’s more to His goodness than what we’ve come to know of the world He created and the experiences we enjoy!

From my personal encounters and time with God, there is a fullness and gravitas to God’s goodness—the original good, without any condition or fading, without caveat or restriction. God is good, not because He is obliged by some action, achievement or request from our end but simply because He is good. The Living God, who so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that we might not perish but have eternal Life: this is His love expressed in His goodness. He is the Good Shepherd, the Good Father.

What this means for me is this—I can trust Him. I can trust Him even when He doesn’t work things out my way or according to my timing. I can trust Him when what He allows in my life hurts and causes suffering and pain. I can trust Him when He disciplines me. In the same way that David cries out when faced with divine punishment, “Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercy is very great…” (1 Chronicles 21:13), in my sin, I would much rather throw myself at God’s mercy because He is good.

We can trust a good God. He is much more than a good man; He never fails or wavers.

May you come to know fully that He is a good God. It is good to be loved by Him.