Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Taste and sight are two of the five senses. They are personal experiences that nobody can do for you or take away from you. God invites us to experience his goodness personally.
We live in a generation that often times judges God’s goodness by our circumstances. If we get the nice car or house, God is good. If we get a raise on our job, God is good, but what about when we don’t? God is still good. His goodness is not depicted by our circumstances. His goodness is determined by his character. Goodness is who he is, and his goodness has never changed. He says in the book of Malachi, “I am the Lord, and I change not.” He was good in the beginning, and he will be good in the end.
God is good because it is his nature. Psalm 100:5 says, “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Notice goodness, mercy, and truth never expire. His actions always flow from his character. It is important to know God’s character rather than to judge him by your circumstances. You have to know that he is for you, no matter what circumstantial thing you go through.
The enemy wants you to doubt God’s goodness. The first temptation in Genesis 3 questioned God’s goodness. The first lie in the garden wasn’t just about fruit; it was about God’s character. Satan suggested if God were really good, he wouldn’t withhold this from you, and he uses the same tactics on us today. “If God loved you, you would be healed already.” “If God loved you, you would not be struggling mentally.” Don’t fall for it! Have faith in the fact that God IS good, even when you don’t understand why things are happening. Job lost everything, yet he never doubted God’s goodness, and in the end, he was restored and blessed even more than before.
God is good during your storm. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, wrongly accused, imprisoned, yet God was with him the entire time. During our trials, God knows how to bless us and keep us if we will be obedient to him. When I was going through a hard time, the Lord sustained me. He encouraged me along the way and even let me know when my storm was about over. His goodness and mercy are everlasting.
God’s goodness is revealed in his mercy. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. Great is thy faithfulness.” Jeremiah remembered how God was merciful – how before destruction, he had provided warning after warning for the people to repent. Think about your own life. God is so merciful that he will warn you when you need to repent. He will warn you when trouble is ahead.
Jesus is the ultimate proof that God is good. If you ever feel tempted to question God’s goodness, look to the cross instead of your circumstances. God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so if he were willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice for us, it would be illogical to think that his intentions for us were anything but good. No matter what we go through in life, he is good. God is good when I understand and when I don’t. He is good when I am on the mountain top or in the valley. God is good yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
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