Scripture tells us that God’s thoughts are so much higher than ours, and therefore, we can find it hard to not always see His goodness in painful situations. We then start to ask questions like, “If God is good, why do bad things happen?” We forget that His perspective is far superior to ours as we discover in Job 42:1-5. Then we begin to accuse God of being unjust, asking Him to bend to our rules, to our morals, and ultimately, disregard His goodness.
Suffering and heartache began when Eve doubted God’s goodness. The serpent convinced Eve that the LORD was trying to cheat her out of knowledge. Yet, behind every one of the Lord’s restrictions or commands, is His goodness. He wants to protect us from the tormenting consequences of sin, and yet, daily, we still act, think, or say things outside of God’s will for our lives.
This is because God created us with “free will” so that we might choose to love Him—and that means His will may allow bad things to happen in our lives. Let’s face it, sin’s consequences hurt – even more so when the consequences are from other people’s actions – but this doesn’t diminish God’s goodness.
The Bible opens with these four powerful words: “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1) and it goes on to say, “…darkness was over the surface of the deep…” (Genesis 1:2). Darkness spoken here is the absence of light. Yet, light (God) has always existed, and always will exist. Light is also a metaphor for God’s presence, His glory, His goodness, and His holiness.
We need to hold onto the fact that where there is darkness in this world, God will show up, because of His goodness and His is love for us. Therefore, if we remain close to God, and He is light, darkness will diminish in our lives.
Friends, if you can’t trace God’s hand or discern what He’s doing in difficult situations, remember that He cares for us. God never changes, and although we may not understand His ways, we can trust them because He is good, and He is love.
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:5
Categories: Psalm
