God's Goodness

I wrote this a couple years ago…..

God’s goodness is one I have struggled with for a long time. Not because I don’t KNOW that God is good, but because sometimes I don’t believe it whole heartedly. It’s hard to believe that we as Christians could live much of our walk of faith out without ever questioning such important things as “Is God Good”, but we do. We navigate into it blindly and that leaves us with doubts and questions. If we don’t KNOW and BELIEVE in God’s goodness, how can we really experience God’s fullness in our lives?

So how do we know AND believe that God is good? It dawned on me, just now as I am writing this that it’s almost impossible to miss God’s goodness. We don’t have to look far, we don’t have to depend on the bible tells us so answers, or hear it from the platform, or share stories to know it. We simply have to open our eyes, our spiritual eyes, and see the blessings God has put in our lives.

Think about living in North America for starters. How can I even question God’s goodness as I sit here typing this on my laptop, in my home, with a bed, running water, heat, air conditioning, lights, food, clothes…and the list goes on? Really though, has God not blessed you? Those are simply the tangible things, the stuff that in the end doesn’t matter. What about other blessings? Has God not given you peace about your salvation? Has God not provided answers to prayers?

We are so quick to jump on the things that God has NOT done, the situations that we are NOT pleased with, and we turn a blind eye to all of God’s goodness in our lives by focusing on the things that are NOT going the way we want. News Flash, Life isn’t perfect, and God isn’t Santa Clause! Chew on that for a minute, I know when I typed it I had to.

I sometimes focus so much on the storms in my life that I fail to see God. I fail to see blessings. Just as Peter focused on the crashing waves, and took his eyes off the Lord, I do the same. I wonder if Peter was thankful for the boat he was in before he was asked to step out in faith? Different angle to that story huh? I wonder if they, instead of being thankful for the boat, were cursing the storm. That’s what I do a lot of times. How good God is to give us the boat, and we turn our eyes to the storm. God gives us friends to talk to when we have troubled times, but instead of saying “Thank you God for giving me these guys to talk to, to pray with, to share with, and praise you for your Goodness” I often say “Why would you allow this to happen?”

The truth is, if I know God, and I know his goodness, I should never ask why He would allow something to happen, because by knowing His goodness I should have faith that allows me to trust that God’s plans are better than my plans. I really struggle with that when I see things in my life that I don’t understand. How God is ever going to take me from where I am now into full time ministry I haven’t a clue. I need to do my part I know, but what a wretched man to use. I don’t get it, and the truth is, I don’t have to, I just have to know God’s goodness, faithfulness and Love and know that God has a plan.

I’m not sure that any of this will make sense to anyone but myself, but I felt to write it down and share it, mainly for feedback. My final note though is that I can’t look at my life, where I am now, and where I was, what I have now and what I had, and question God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life. I am blessed beyond what I deserve, God owes me nothing but gives me so much, and that is God’s goodness. And am I deluded? I know that the realness of God in my life doesn’t allow room for the word delusion. God is good, God is faithful, God is love and I believe it! Or at least I am trying to.