How Would You Describe God’s Goodness?

A few months back, a friend said to me that, deep within, she struggles with believing that God is good.* It hurt knowing someone didn’t think that God was good, and I wanted to respond. In Job 38, God answers Job and his friends after hearing them ramble on with their reasons for Job’s suffering. God overwhelms them with many questions impossible for humans to answer. He asks where they were when He created the earth and if they truly understand what He did (see verse 4). He inquires, “Do you know the laws of the heavens?” (verse 33, NIV).

It appears God is saying we will never comprehend what He knows. Therefore, it would be good to trust Him with the details of our lives. Adam and Eve believed that God was good until the devil threw in doubt: “Did God really say . . . ?” Their son, Abel, focused with faith on God’s plan as revealed in his acceptable sacrifice of a lamb pointing to Jesus, the promised Lamb, who would take our place. Satan tried to deter and block Jesus’ ministry while He was on the earth. But Jesus responded to each temptation with “It is written . . . ” (see Matthew 4). On the cross, Jesus triumphed over Satan. But Satan—the one who boasted that he wanted to be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14)—still wants to be. However, evil now holds no power over those who are in Christ, as God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13, NIV).

Sometimes when I have wondered at God’s goodness, He has given me little reminders throughout the day. So I guess I wasn’t surprised that, not long after writing my friend about God’s goodness, a journal appeared in the mail from another friend. The thought came to me: I could go through each letter of the alphabet and write a word describing God’s goodness. Just a few were these: C is for caring, M is for marvelous, N is for nurturing. How true that “the LORD is trustworthy in all he promises” (Psalm 145:13, NIV)!

Faith, followed by action, helps with belief. It’s a joy to share about God’s goodness in my life. It strengthens my understanding that He is good.

Diane Pestes