God. Is. Good. You hear me say it, I write it (over and over and over again) – it’s all over this site. It’s a concept that has become a reality. It’s a reality that’s always been there, but I was, too often, too blind to see it. There was too much cluttering and distorting who I had grown up knowing God to be. It’s easy to not know Him know Him. It’s easy to be complacent. It’s easy to sit back in the safety of your salvation and say that it’s good enough. Trust the man in the pulpit without cracking open your own Bible. A word or two each Sunday with nothing till the next appointment with the pew. Just trying to stay in God’s good graces.
When I was growing up, my parents encouraged me to read my Bible. Have you had your quiet time yet today? Why would I want quiet time with God? Why would any young kiddo want to have quiet time with anyone? I seldom read my Bible on my own when I was a child (other than the book of Psalms). As a pastor’s kid, I was forced to go to any and all services that were held at our church. I received gold stars for my attendance in Sunday School, I did confirmation class, went through acolyte training and joined the lofty procession on each Sunday I was assigned. That was more than enough time with God.
While my husband grew up in a home where it was encouraged to question things that didn’t make sense, I didn’t feel the same freedom. This isn’t actually something to be attributed to my parents though. I remember my older brother questioning things and getting in trouble for it. He didn’t get in trouble because he asked questions, but rather because of his tone and attitude of disrespect when he asked. At the time, though, it made me second-guess the wisdom of asking questions about God. When I did manage to ask questions, I didn’t know enough to be able to decipher between truth and fiction. I came to believe that God was not very nice.
God. Is. Good. Trying to explain this to a kiddo who comes face to face with the evil found in this world can be a difficult task. How can God be considered good when there’s children starving in Africa (one among the 7 continents where there are starving children)? What about the cancer patient who just got the news their disease is terminal? Health problems and accidents that strike without discrimination can boggle the mind of a child. Christian or not, bad things happen. Is God really good? During one of the many pew appointments, the pastor starts to teach about God’s will. Huh? So now it’s God’s will for these bad things to happen?
It’s about this time that I checked out. My rear end may have sat in the pew, week after week… I may have sung the songs and read the responsive readings, but I mostly colored on my bulletin and watched the clock. Don’t get me wrong – if anyone asked if I loved God, the response would be yes without hesitation. Had I asked Jesus into my heart? That’s Christian-speak for accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Yes, I recognized that Jesus was the One and only Way to Heaven. But in my mind, Heaven was the goal. Not God, not Jesus, and not the Holy Spirit. I did what I thought was required, but I wasn’t interested in a relationship. Why would I want a relationship with Someone who’s will included starving children and other numerous tragedies?
There were so many powerless prayers that I grew up hearing. Heal this person, God, if it’s Your will… or comments of We’ll get there safely, Lord willing… And I was told to seek out a relationship with Him? What was – what is – God’s will? Most of what I caught in my elementary and teen years was that God’s will is a mystery. There was a popular Baptist-backed speaker who actually stated in one of her Bible study videos that God will give “the nod” to Satan… probably depending on whether or not it’s God’s will. How can we be called to love someone who might strike us with cancer? It might be His will for a child to be kidnapped, abused, or the latest victim of human trafficking. I even read a devotional that stated nothing happened unless God willed it or caused it. God can’t be good and cause evil – that would mean that He’s not good.
God. Is. Good. Or is He? If those were the actions of the average person, we would have them locked up for eternity! They would be shunned by the world! But this is Who we’re called to love and trust? This is why, when I was a teen (all the way through my mid-20s) that I could care less about a pew appointment each week. My Bible took up a position, soon forgotten, on a bookshelf. If God was going to will or cause heartache in my life – give Satan the nod to wreak havoc – then I had no desire to give Him the time of day. Heaven, without relationship, sounded just fine to me.
That all seems pretty hard-hearted, but the truth was that my ignoring God didn’t change His opinion of me, but it created a void in me. I still prayed when I faced desperate situations. I still cried out to God when I hurt (mostly in accusation). And I craved those pew appointments. I wasn’t craving the religious traditions. I wasn’t craving the wagging finger in regards to how I was a horrible sinner. I wasn’t craving the price tag that seemed to accompany God’s grace. My spirit was craving the Truth. And when I was 27, that’s what I went searching for.
“’For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” Isaiah 54:9-10 (NKJV)
This passage of scripture is one that I refer to quite a bit on this site. This is what I read that had me rethinking a relationship.
“‘In righteousness you will be established: tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.'” Isaiah 54:14-15 (NIV)
Notice what that says? It states that we will be established in righteousness (I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus – who dares to wag a finger at me?). It also states that if we are attacked, that it will not be an attack from God – He’s not the one who is out to steal, kill, and destroy! He’s not going to cause a tragic accident, strike anyone with cancer, or bring about harm to any children – and He’s not starving anyone on any continent!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)
Before I started reading my Bible for myself, before I started questioning the brush strokes that were painting a false picture of God, I wasn’t interested in God, excited about God, and I was afraid to be in the presence of my Father. I was afraid because I knew there were multiple sins that I had forgotten to confess, didn’t even know about some that needed to be confessed, and surely God was going to cause me pain just so He could bring about something good. If it wasn’t for a good, juicy testimony, no one would bother with God (I hope you recognize the sarcasm there). It is God’s kindness and goodness that lead us to repent, not wrath, judgement and condemnation (Romans 2:4).
God. Is. Good. God is for us – He is not going to attack us or strike us down. He’s not holding our sins against us, ready to punish us when we’ve gone too far. He doesn’t will evil on us; He sacrificed His Son to rescue us from evil – and He tells us to flee from evil! God. Is. Good. This is what I believe. This is what I write. Be bold in seeking God. Ask the questions, read the scriptures, and pay attention to the nudges you get from the Holy Spirit. I’ll be sharing more on God’s goodness in the coming weeks. I hope you’ll join me and offer feedback. Let’s dig in the Word together.
Yes, God IS good, ALL the time.
Amen! I love that even when most would only see a negative, God was still in the details to protect, offer grace, and extend mercies. Thank you, Stacy!