“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.” –Psalm 119:68
“How’s life treating you?” Perhaps you’ve heard someone ask that, or maybe you’ve asked someone else. And how did you respond? Your answer probably differs depending on the day, the time, the weather, the grade you got on your math exam, if you gained much muscle or lost the five pounds you wanted, and so on. Well, God’s goodness never changes, and I don’t think our opinion of His goodness should either. Whether we’re soaring cloud nine or feel trapped in the trenches, God is good.
I wanted to write an article about the greatness of God when I was in a rough spot. School just started back, and while I’m not in the trenches but feel super blessed, I’m going to write about God’s goodness anyway. I know another rough spot will be coming, and it will be a good opportunity to praise God. When I’m on cloud nine, it often seems easy or natural to praise God and feel that life is awesome. But when I’m tired, attend a lot of doctor appointments, or have homework up to my hips, I’m not so eager to chant back, “All the time, God is good.” I want to praise God in every circumstance because He deserves it, and I know that in doing so, joy will spring from my soul.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
It’s interesting to me that this one little sentence is divided up into three verses. This verse contains a lot of wisdom and good instruction that can help you stay connected to seeing that God really is so good all the time. These three things — being forever joyful, constant communication with our Savior, and simply being thankful — are crucial to living a godly life. Something I find humorous about this is that when I’m down and out, I’m not welling up inside with any of these! God’s will for us is to live life like life is good! So if God is good, and God made life, then God is life, and God is good. (Confusing?) My God is so good that He chooses to let us experience life, love, friendships, joy, and communication with Him. When we aren’t too thrilled about what’s happening around us, we need to remind ourselves that God. Is. Good. I’m challenging myself to say this in hard times — when the freeway suddenly gets bumpy and my pocket full of sunshine turns wet and cold.
We were made to praise God, and when we praise our Creator, it makes sense that we would feel good about it. Even in the darkest times, God keeps His promise to love us and remain faithful. Romans 8:38-39 is an amazing verse that offers hope to God’s children:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.” -2 Timothy 2:13
I love the times when my plate is full, and I have peace and am full of joy because I am close to my Savior. This is His goodness. How about when your alarm goes off mega early, and you wake up and see the sun’s rays tickling your window? God is giving you a new day and some sunshine for your pocket. You didn’t get a close-up parking spot, but everything in your body is working just right to allow you to walk the distance. God gave you those legs, and He gave you the opportunity to get some exercise! Your research paper is due in two weeks, and you haven’t started. God is so good He gave you schooling.
It’s fascinating that literally, in every circumstance, there is something to be thankful for. This means there is no excuse humans can validate to justify that everything stinks like skunk. We may feel this way, but God knows He’s good, and He is showing us that He is every day through His character. I just don’t much take the time to tell God that He is Good. I dare say that the more we recognize the good in bad situations, the more we will shine Jesus to the world. I encourage you to think of something God has done that makes you exclaim “God is Good!” and tell Him and share it with people in some way. It’s Him we should be bragging about daily. The Glory is His!
