52 Weeks of ForwardSample

God's Goodness

By Pastor Jason Briesacher

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." 1 CHRONICLES 16:34 (NLT)

The word “good” is thrown around in our world. “How was the meal?” “Good.” The inevitable “Be good!” as you drop your kids off at school. From a young age, I remember hearing that God is good and thought it was inadequate. Wouldn’t “great” fit God more than “good”? God’s greatness is on display everywhere. The earth, His footstool, declares His majesty. The universe, which fits in the span of His hand, sings His praises. He is great, and His authority has no end.

While His greatness describes His power, His goodness describes the quality of His character. It is both an adjective and a verb. His goodness represents His kindness and mercy, gentleness and purity, and the standard of righteousness that makes evil flee. The goodness of God describes who He is at His core.

As an adjective, the goodness of God is seen in His righteousness and evil’s aversion to Him. No choice He makes could be evil or come with malice because He’s good. His motives are merciful, and His reasoning is pure. The consequences or outcomes of His choices will invariably be for your benefit because. HE IS GOOD!

When things are going well, we can feel the goodness of God. West and on the mountaintop, declaring God is good. He acted on our behalf and blessed us! When life is great, it’s easy to proclaim the goodness of God.

But the goodness of God is found not only on mountaintops but also in valleys. The depth of His goodness is found in moments of struggle. He is good when the job has been lost, or the relationship has ended. When the sickness worsens, and loneliness sets in, He is good. When everything seems wrong around us, He is still good.

The goodness of God, as a verb, is not found in sweeping declarations but in intimate moments with Him, born from difficult circumstances. His active goodness is His grace and peace, His kindness and love. His active goodness has redeemed you and set you free. When we are at the point of feeling we have nothing else, we still have His presence because He is good.

MOVING FORWARD

Take a moment to allow His Spirit to wash over you. Whether on the mountaintop or in the valley, declare that the Lord is good and His faithful love endures forever.