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Always Good

Hello, friends! I hope you are all having a great day today! I wanted to talk about the goodness of the Lord because being reminded of His goodness is always a refreshing reminder that sets a peaceful tone for my day!

When I think about the goodness of the Lord, so many thoughts come to mind. My testimony is one miracle that justifies how gracious and good God has been, but scripture is also a great assurance to us of His faithfulness.

I do want to mention a few different verses today, but I want to begin by encouraging you to listen to the song “Always Good” by Bethel Music featuring Hannah McClure. I heard this song for the first time when I was 17, and the lyrics have remained embedded in my mind all these years. If you question the Lord’s work in your life, allow these lyrics to filter your mind and remind you of the sure and steadfast truth that He is always good.

I also want to draw inspiration from a man in the Bible who withheld many struggles, yet remained grounded in the truth that God is always good. He is an inspiration to me personally, and his journey is an example that many Christians should live by. This book is considered one of the oldest books in the Bible, which emphasizes the connection of God’s unchanging character today. His name is Job.

Before we dive into Job’s story, I want to read Psalm 100:5 to anchor ourselves in the calm understanding of the unchanging truth of God’s character. “For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” This verse tells us that in every generation and every circumstance, the Lord remains consistently good. His faithfulness is our foundation to stand on when we may face the storms of our lives. In a world filled with so many uncertainties, one thing remains constant – God is always good.

I want to shift over to Job now. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been doing a chronological study of the Bible, and I am currently beginning the book of Job. For those who may not know about this man, he was wealthy and righteous in the eyes of the Lord. In his life, he faced unimaginable loss and suffering in his life:

He received news that his livestock had all been taken away (Job 1:14-15), his sheep and servants were burned up by fire falling from the sky (Job 1:16), his camels were taken along with the killing of the servants attending to them (Job 1:17), and lastly, his house collapsed due to a great wind resulting in the death of all ten of his children (Job 1:18-19).

Amid his anguish, he fell to the ground and worshiped. He spoke in Job 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I am amazed at Job’s response at this moment. Despite the severe loss he experienced, he responded with a display of faith, acknowledging the Lord’s sovereignty and maintaining his trust in God.

I want to take a moment and mention a personal instance that happened in my life a couple of days ago… I woke up on Sunday morning, eager to have a slow, relaxed morning, and when I stepped outside of my bedroom, my feet were submerged in water. My entire bathroom was flooded with water that had leaked from the toilet… definitely not my idea of a peaceful morning.

As horrific as this situation was, I was tempted to just stay home and clean as much as I could, but I decided to go to church. I showed up a couple of minutes late, but I just began to worship. My amazing church played the song “Holy Forever”, and in the moment of me lifting the Lord’s name after the chaos I had just had, I thought of Job.

I know it obviously isn’t the same circumstance – Job had more suffering and I had more annoyance, but I chose to worship just as he did. And I started to think, what if in every undesired situation we chose to worship His name despite the chaos waiting on the other side? What if, like Job, we could declare our trust in God’s sovereignty even when faced with disruptions and inconveniences?

Moving further into the book of Job, along with losing his children, wealth, and home, he struggled with physical affliction. He expressed deep anguish, great frustration, and questioning the reasons for his trials. But the greatest takeaway from Job’s story is that he never abandoned his belief that God had complete control over his situation.

Job’s journey provides context to us about the testing of our faith in the midst of the unknown workings of the Lord. If every step of our journey were revealed, it wouldn’t truly be a journey of faith. Hebrews 11:1 emphasizes that the nature of faith is having confidence and assurance in things that are not visible or apparent to us. As believers, we are to trust in God’s promises and His good purpose, even when we may desire answers in seasons of the unknown.

When I think about the unknown or uncertain paths in my life, I think of Isaiah 55:8-9 which says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

This passage underscores the vast difference between God’s perspective and ours as humans. It highlights to us that God’s plans hold immeasurable greatness that our limited human minds cannot comprehend. His plans transcend our understanding and are ultimately greater than anything we could conceive.

Thinking about Isaiah 55:8-9 and Psalm 100:5 fills me with so much peace. Being able to rest in the sureness that the Creator of the universe has unimaginable plans for me coupled with the steadfast and enduring nature of His love is a breathtaking truth. These verses provide the perfect formula for us when we face times of confusion. The same God who intricately designed the solar system is the same God who is crafting our story each day.

The reality of Christian life is that there will never be a day without interruptions, notifications, and distractions vying for our attention. Our everyday life may not always be good, but God always is. Whether it’s a bathroom malfunction or a Job-sized circumstance, we must be grounded in the acknowledgment that God’s ways are not for us to understand or investigate; our foundation lies in the same truth that came to pass for Job thousands of years ago – God is always good.

I encourage you to read the next paragraph out loud as a reminder of the character of God. His goodness is not a distant attribute, but a present reality. His goodness is a cornerstone of our faith, an unshakeable foundation that sustains us through every season of life. Psalm 100:5, the Lord is good and His steadfast love endures forever. He has been faithful throughout generations.

His goodness is constant and unwavering.
His goodness is the dawn that dispels the darkness.
His goodness brings peace to every rhythm of our souls.
His goodness is where hope blossoms.
His goodness is the architect of grace.
His goodness resonates through eternity.
His goodness is the beacon of light guiding us through storms.
His goodness is the gentle whisper in the chaos.
His goodness is an ever-flowing river of mercy.
His goodness is the sunrise that pain each day with hope.
His goodness is the final ending of every story.
His goodness knows no end.