The goodness of God

God is good all the time. It is somewhat a cliché statement but it is so true! The goodness of God is a character that we cannot fully understand. The word goodness takes its root from the word “good”. Everything that is related to good is well, good as opposed to evil. What is good brings you all the positive feelings, even when you say good, it brings a sense of joy, completeness, satisfaction, it is pleasant, fulfilling. God’s goodness is like that and much more. I have been blessed by encouraging testimonies on the goodness of God and it made me reflect on that. My goal today is simply to relay several examples of the goodness of God in general so that you can identify it in your lives and be encouraged.

From the moment of creation which is our moment of reference (not God’s), we can already trace God’s goodness. He created us in His likeness, and made a place for us to live and have dominion. As He created us and the world we live in, he declared everything to be “good”. That was His goodness at work. Even when disobedience came through Adam, in His goodness, God provided clothing for Adam and Eve as He banned them from the Garden of Eden. His goodness compelled Him. The goodness of God always seeks to bring good, to restore, to arrange, to make right, to grow, to honour, to do what is beautiful, to save. In everything that God does, we see His goodness at work because He is good. God didn’t have to create us but He did; He doesn’t have to love us but He does; He doesn’t have to protect us but He does; He doesn’t have to answer us when we call but He does; He doesn’t have to concern himself with what we are yet He does; He doesn’t have to forgive us for our unrighteousness, yet He does; He doesn’t have to accept our sacrifices and offerings, yet in His goodness He does; He doesn’t have to listen to us when we pray, yet He does. It is hard to understand this type of character because it is so foreign to us but that is who God is. So today, be encouraged at the goodness and faithfulness of God in your life. Psalm 34 tells us to “taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8), not only is He good, He is goodness Himself! I am reading through the book of Samuel and learning about David and his journey to becoming king of Israel. Throughout his life, I am amazed at the goodness of God. God provided many escape routes to David, God shielded David from his enemies again and again and again, God brought like-minded people to David who would help him accomplish his destiny and get to the place God had already prepared. God’s hand upon the life of David was evident, God’s goodness to him was evident. Some might say, with the struggle that David went through it shows instead that God was not with him but that would be missing the fingerprint of God in the life of David. As a matter of fact, the bible repeatedly tells us that “the Lord was with David” or that “the Lord strengthened” him or that the spirit of God was on him. You cannot do much prospering if the Lord is not with you and David prospered in all that he did (1 Samuel 18:14-16). Similarly, even Joseph in prison had the Lord with him hence he could prosper in everything he did. It is almost impossible to read any story of the bible and not see the goodness of God in it. The greatest display of God’s goodness was in the salvation story. In coming to this world as a man, God gave Himself as a ransom for sinful men so that those who believe in Him might not die but have eternal life. God wanted to restore the state of man to what it was in the beginning, sinless and in perfect communion with Him. Why would He do this? Because He is good and that is who He is.

As believers, we have an obligation to be grateful for what God has done in our lives. God honours gratitude, He constantly asks us to remember what He has done so that we would not forget but also so that we would know how good He is. In our mundane and busy lives, we often get buried under the routine tasks and demands of our day but that should not stop us from first seeing the goodness of God in our lives daily and second acknowledging it and thanking God for that goodness be it small or big. We must learn to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving, not taking anything for granted but simply praising God for what He has done for us. As you praise Him, be specific about what you are thanking God for, name it, just like the Psalms show us. Today, I am particularly thankful for God’s goodness to me in encouraging my heart through people’s testimonies of His work in their lives. It was so sweet of the Father today to remind me of what He can do, of what He is able to do if I would only trust Him! Let us not take God’s goodness for granted and let us also not become too familiar with it to the point that we disregard it in our lives. May the Lord help us and keep us.