My relationship with the common phrase “God is good” has been complex. Upon initially hearing it, I loved it! I mean who wouldn’t? Isn’t goodness what we all search for in our lives? The goodness of God is such a beautiful concept and one that ideally would bring great comfort to our souls. Until…life doesn’t feel “good” and God being good comes into question. 

Now, I didn’t throw out the phrase simply because life got tough. I knew better. But, the reality?…when the darkness closed in and I had trouble seeing His hand, that phrase became an empty platitude that held no comfort or weight in my heart. 

Why? Well, when you go through circumstances devoid of any goodness by all measures, hearing someone tell you “God is good” becomes problematic. Because, the reality is that some things we walk through in a fallen world are not good by any stretch of the imagination. Sin hold no goodness and when we are sinned against the chaos it creates in our lives is simply—wrong. 

So, over time I decided the phrase didn’t help me in those seasons. Instead I turned to the phrase, “God is faithful”. This was different somehow. Instead of looking for “good” in my pain I could simply focus on the fact that He was always with me and promised never to leave me (Hebrews 13:5b). His faithfulness felt so much more tangible, comforting, and helpful in the valleys. 

I acknowledged that the Father was the best companion and the only source of strength in trials. When I focused on His ministry of presence, I felt more peace. This was in sharp contrast to focusing on whether or not I could see the good in my situation. 

One night, things changed. 

My husband and I were talking and he used the phrase “God is faithfully good”. It took me back. This phrase struck a deep cord in my spirit and suddenly things made more sense. 

God is good. But, His goodness does not exist in time. What do I mean? He is not bound by our concept of time. What may feel like an eternity for us could simply be a moment for the Lord. 

Could it be that the goodness of the Lord may not be obvious to the human mind in your trial because you are looking at the middle of a sentence and trying to understand the meaning of the paragraph? 

There may be pages of our stories that are stained by sin and the fallen nature of this world but when we zoom out we see that those shadowy places are part of the tapestry which illustrates a complex beauty—life itself. 

There may be moments in time where God’s goodness isn’t in the circumstances (for He takes no part in evil) but in the presence He offers us.

In no way do I believe that God abuses us in an effort to glorify Himself. I reject this concept for it does not reflect the character of God in the Bible. But, as any good parent would, He allows pain, struggle, consequences, and difficulty to enter our lives to unlock future goodness as a part of the greater story. However, there are some things we walk through that are simply the result of sin, and sin alone. In these cases, the Lord, in His goodness, redeems. 

To illustrate this….

Maybe you can’t see His goodness in the break up you endured when you were so sure this was the one but— His choice will be far better and the future goodness you have yet to walk into will shock you.

Maybe you can’t see His goodness in the church hurt you’re experiencing but—the things you will learn about Jesus and the deepening of your relationship with Him will produce inconceivable goodness in every area of your life.  

Maybe you can’t see His goodness in the midst of the pain you endured in your childhood but—the way it shaped who you are and gave you the ministry gifting you will use for His kingdom, and the way it ordered your path has brought goodness in ways you may have yet to recognize. 

He is a redeemer and, for that also, He is good.

I do not negate the fact that this is hard. All of this is hard. But, I firmly believe that pursing a deeper understanding of the Father’s goodness leads to far more peace than anything else. 

Believing, unshakably, that He is good, allows us to walk through whatever life throws our way with confidence, identity, and peace in ways only those who know Him can. 

God is faithfully good. 

If He is goodness itself, then when He is present—goodness is present—now or very soon.