God is Good All the Time and All the Time, God is Good

In the Christian church, we commonly hear the phrase, "God is good all the time," followed by "and all the time, God is good." Oftentimes, as believers, however, when we go through difficult circumstances or when we can't hear what God is telling us, we may have a difficult time seeing God's goodness. How can God be good when I have a sickness or when I am in financial turmoil or when life is just not going well? How can I trust that God is good when there is so much going on?

How is God Good?

Something that we have to realize first as believers is that there is an enemy that comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). This oftentimes is not physically, but spiritually. If he can convince you that God is not good, then he can destroy your faith. Next, we must also realize that God is good despite, fill in the blank. This is because God's goodness is not contingent on whether life is good for you in this moment. God's goodness rests in who He is.

"16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17, NIV).

When we consider the most popular scripture in the Bible, John 3:16, its popularity stems from the fact that it encompasses the gospel message and depicts God's goodness. God, however, is not good because of what he's done, but again it is because of who he is. Even before he sent his son, he was God, and he was good, but he sent his son because of his love and his character.

"19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19, NIV).

When we think of a king, we likely consider the wealth and riches they have: the money, the gold, the jewelry. God's riches that he gives to us reside in Jesus. Regardless of what we go through, trouble, hardship, persecution, or danger, we can always depend on Jesus (Romans 8:35-39). He is enough.

"31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:31-34, NIV).

Jesus tells us to seek the kingdom of God first. He tells us not to even worry about what we will eat or wear. Furthermore, Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." This does not mean to disregard common sense, but it delineates that our understanding is not enough. We shouldrely on God, not ourselves or our circumstances. We should submit our will to God's will and trust him.

Examples from the Bible of People who Trusted God's Goodness:

Daniel 3 - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

• "16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up'" (Daniel 3:16-18, NIV).

• When these three Hebrew boys were faced between bowing down to false idols or honoring God, they chose God. They believed God was able to rescue them from the furnace, but their faith was not limited to God's ability to perform miracles. They did not trust God and believe he was good solely because they wanted a good outcome. They trusted God's sovereignty no matter what happened.

Acts 6 and 7 - The Stoning of Stephen: The First Martyr of the Christian Church

• When we read these chapters in Acts, we see a disciple named Stephen confront the Jewish leaders in the Sanhedrin when accused of blasphemy against God. Although Stephen's speech resulted in a brutal death, he still trusted God and his sovereignty. Ultimately, like the Hebrew boys, Stephen trusted God enough that it did not matter what his situation looked like. He knew that God was good regardless. This passage parallels Paul, who said, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20-24) because no matter what happens, God is in control and will ultimately get the glory.

To say, "God is good all the time," is not a cliche, but it is truly a mindset that all believers should have. That is, no matter what the circumstance looks like, God is still good. God is still in control, good or bad. Our life does not have to look picture perfect for God to be good because he has been good from the beginning of time.