How Good is God?

When we make the statement that God is good, what do we mean? Our natural tendency is to think that if God is good, and if He loves mankind, then He will make life pleasant for us, always. Consequently, when things go well for us, we're incline to believe that God indeed is good, but when things don't, we question His goodness and even His existence. But our current happiness is not the standard by which to judge God's goodness.

We are not the center of the universe, not the reference point against which goodness is determined. It sounds silly to even say, but we think and act as though God's goodness depends on how well we like what's going on. We are not in the position to judge the goodness of God's actions. We see to small a part of the overall picture--a picture that covers all time and all humanity, past, present, and future.

The only way for us to know whether God is good is to get to know Him, to experience His character first hand. When God reveals Himself to us, then we will know that He is good. Then we will know that His goodness is beyound imaging, that His goodness is pure and true and complete. As once who has had his fair share of physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles, I affirm with all that is in me that regardless of the day and what it holds, I have always found that my God is Good.

When we know that God is good, then we will begin to see Him as good as He turns our tragedies into triumps, and our sorrows into joy. And this the form God's goodness takes in the world: He works to bring every individual to knowledge of Himself and to an active relationship with Himself. This is goodness, to experience His love and guidance in our lives. Is God good? "There is no other good but one, that is God." He is the scourse of everything that is good. Nahum the prophet writes, "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and knows them that trust Him.? We must never allow ourselves a moment's unbelief in regard to God's goodness. Whatever else we may question, this is absolutely certain. God is good; though circumstances may vary, His nature is always the same. GOD IS GOOD!