A Good God

A Good God

In the midst of Job’s catastrophes, he cried at one point, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21, NRSV)

How is it possible for Job to say such a thing, especially after he lost everything, including all his children? Does God have the sovereign right to allow the death of a beloved one, or, to take them, as Job said? If we believe in His sovereignty then apparently he does. We are told that it is for a higher purpose, but that is also hard to grasp, especially since we live in the here and now, and cannot comprehend the long term effect of the tragic loss of a loved one; one who died in infancy; too young in life; suddenly and unexpectedly; or one who suffered a long time then died. How do we reconcile a “good God” with the reality of terrible losses?

We have heard of those who cannot come to grips with tragedy, and continue to look at God as a villain who did something terrible to them, or did not answer their prayers. God has become an enemy to them. There are also those who no longer believe God is involved in our lives at all.

Then there are those who remain faithful to God no matter what. My parents were like that. Before I was born, they went through the tragedy of losing two infant sons. Dad was laid off from his primary work for nearly two years. They still sent a daughter to college during that time. Other tragedies came, but their faith in the goodness of God was never in doubt.

Both of my parents died several years ago. They were ready, they were ill, and their passing seemed a blessing. Mom’s long physical suffering was over, and dad put away his aging body to take on a new one. Their faith in the goodness of God took them both home.

There is no way to adequately deal with that unanswerable question, “Why?” However, the Bible has a lot to say about God’s goodness. Here are a few passages from the NIV.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” - Philippians 4:6

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” - 1 Timothy 4:4

“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” - Psalm 145:9

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” - Psalm 100:5

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” - Hebrews 13:6

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” - 1 Peter 5:7

“Be still and know that I am God” - Psalm 46:10

Perhaps the words Jesus uttered are the most powerful of all.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” - Mark 10:18

This in no way covers all of the verses in the Bible on God’s goodness, but maybe they can “whet our appetite,” and encourage us to discover more.

In order to rest in God’s goodness and begin to realize that God is good, we need to be silent before Him; wait on Him. This will not be easy as we live in the here and now and cannot begin to see any long term benefits. In His time, however, we will see how good He is and will submit to His loving care. We will realize that He has been sustaining us all along. I hope these scriptures can give sustenance to all who are suffering.

God cares…He really does!

Thanks be to God.