It is so easy to say “God is good!” when things are going well. And I deeply admire those who also say it when things are NOT going well. But does that even make sense? Can God be good and yet allow bad things?
Over the centuries volumes have been written addressing this apparent disparity, but I just want to share what helps me make sense of it. One word: perspective. Am I focusing on this fleeting moment, or am I forward focused on what will last forever? Which really has the supreme value?
What IF God did give us everything we wanted right now in this life, but no promises for after we die. At first that sounds like winning the lottery! But when you connect the dots, eventually at some point in time it will all end. THEN WHAT?
Wouldn’t you rather have a good God Who has the love and the power to give us everything we could ever want FOREVER, after we die, but Who allows us to go through hard times NOW for some reason He is not obligated to explain?
To me, His goodness lies not in any temporary favors (although those are truly blessings too!), but in the fact that He HAS done everything to give us all we’ll ever need and want in His kingdom.
God’s goodness is showcased by the fact that Jesus willingly suffered and died so the gift of eternal life would be free to ALL who receive Him by faith. This ultimate victorious display of goodness over evil’s darkness should greatly overshadow any doubts.
In the meantime, everyone who gets to heaven by God’s grace will have been through hard times. In this life we all have challenges to overcome. But rest assured that when we are on the other side, with Him, it WILL be worth it all. And there we will have plenty of time to talk about how good God IS!
I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living. ~Psalm 27:13
