Bummer Buster Friday - God is Good

Good morning!

Kathy and I have finished our "road trip" celebrating our "retirement" milestone. Interestingly, that has caused me to look back and consider the road traveled in my life so far.

As I reflected about the past, this phrase we all likely have heard popped into my head - "God is Good". That is the conclusion I come to when I consider my life, my missteps, my sins - God has been good, is good and will be good. 

So what does scripture say about His goodness? Well, here are some verses I found regarding God's goodness and a few thoughts I have on these verses:

1. "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth." Exodus 34:6 - God is speaking to Moses here (and to His chosen people Israel). But we should have this same understanding about His goodness - despite our rebellion, our sin, our turning away from Him, He offers His mercy and grace to us. Even though He is Holy, He tolerates for long periods of time disobedience and rebellion - this is God is Good embodied.
2. "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 - This exclamation from the author here is a recognition of God's goodness as it seems the writer has seen God mercy.
3. "And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Ezra 3:11 - Again, God's goodness is linked to His patience and mercy.
4. "Good and upright is the Lord." Psalm 25:8 - Why would this be the case? We see in Genesis 1 that as the Creator, is the source of all that is good. In His creation work we see that all he created was found to be good - and in the case of mankind - man and women - very good.
5. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6 - When we turn back to God, trust in Jesus, we have the ability to start seeing His goodness and mercy in our lives. Again, His mercy is linked to His goodness - we do not merit His mercy yet He in His goodness provides it.
6. "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." Psalm 145:9 Another linking of His goodness to His mercy. And He extends His mercy to all - those who know His Son Jesus and those who do not or who deny him...
7. "No one is good but One, that is, God." Mark 10:18 See number 4 above - again looking back to Genesis, it was not God who failed but rather Adam and Eve (i.e. mankind). Our failure in Genesis 3 and going forward does not mean God and His good creation somehow lost their goodness. However, it does mean only God is good until we are fully restored in Jesus Christ at His second coming when all things are made new (Revelation 21:5)
8. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17 - God is not inconsistent - His is always good, He is always the same  - yesterday, today and tomorrow. All His gifts therefore will be good whether we recognize the goodness or not.
9. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:11 - Although redeemed, full restoration awaits us as we go through the sanctification process. During that time we still sin, but despite that God the Father will still answer our righteous prayers.
10. "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13 - God's goodness is there for us to see even now, if we choose to open our eyes as believers in Jesus Christ - we can see His work and therefore His goodness even in the turmoil of the world.
11. "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness." Psalm 145:5-7 - Here the psalmist is acknowledging the goodness and greatness of our God. If we believe we too should recognize His glorious and beautiful  might and goodness!
12. "He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." Psalm 33:5 - You and I have been justified and given righteousness through Jesus Christ, not something we have earned. One can only see this as good - there is no other way to understand this.
13. "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" Psalm 34:8 - For those of us who now believe in Lord Jesus as our Savior and trust in Him, should know the delicious taste of goodness and each of use have received His blessing in trusting in Jesus.
14. "Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting." Psalm 100:4-5 - Another linking of God's mercy to His goodness - the mercy and therefore goodness we receive from God is eternal.
15. "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:8-9 = The psalmist is letting us know that for those that hunger for a deep relationship with God will have that hunger for a deeper relationship satisfied through God's goodness. 
16. "The Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Psalm 92:15 - The psalmist shares here that God is fully and perfectly righteous (just a reminder that we are not). In order for one to be considered "good" in this way, they would  need the perfect righteousness of God. This underlines why God is good, good always, and we are not.
17. "You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes." Psalm 119:68 - The psalmist is asking God to write on his heart God's will and in asking this He is acknowledging God's goodness. We likewise should seek to get closer to God by having our hearts transformed by His goodness and will.
18. "Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies." Psalm 69:16 - God is being acknowledged here as good, full of loving kindness and offering His tender mercies - let us turn to our good God and receive His loving kindness and tender mercies especially in the difficult seasons.
19. "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him." Nahum 1:7 - Nahum is sharing that a part of God's goodness is His love and protection during seasons of struggle - He  will be our protection if we are willing to put our trust in Him. God is good.
20. "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." Psalm 31:19-20 - As a believer, the words of this psalmist should give us great peace and hope. For out of God's goodness when we trust in Him, we can seek and receive His protection as we go into the daily battles of our lives in a broken world.

In my reflections on the goodness of God, I see that even when I was lost, God's finger prints were on my life. For it was His hand that guided me back to Him, it was His call and work that brought me to His Son, my Savior Jesus Christ.

As we approach Christmas, how have you seen God's goodness in your life?

When I think about God sending His only Son, Jesus - Emmanuel, God with us - how can I not know that God is good?

Lord Jesus, my prayer as we go into this upcoming weekend, is that we focus on Your goodness and how that goodness is reflected in our celebrating Your birth, the deepest expression of love and goodness we will ever know, truly a good gift from the One who is our Hope! Amen.

Enjoy this weekend knowing the truth of the work, the peace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus,

​Patrick Engesser