The Goodness of God
At a time of year when we typically recall the happenings of the previous year we often hear or read of lists of blessings followed by the words “The Lord has been good this year!”
Because the past year has been full of difficult times for many of my friends, and because there continues to be misery in the world, it causes me to reflect on what exactly the “goodness of God” is.
I’d like to encourage you to join me as I ponder and try to think through the goodness of God. I don’t believe that “goodness” is an attribute which is defined by performance. I think God is good no matter what is happening in the world or my life, no matter what God does or does not provide for me. God is good (the grammar in that sentence reveals that the good is not dependent on God or His acts, but it is what or who He is). His very being defines what “good” is.
This should be comforting to us. In a world of war, sorrow, catastrophe, car accidents, financial stress, and ____________ (fill in the blank) we can look to God and know that He is good.
I certainly haven’t plumbed the depths of this, I’m just starting to tune my ear. This semester one of our classes will be “Doctrine of God” and we will be exploring indepth many of the attributes of God. I think this will be both a challenging and devotional endeavor. The more I know of God, the more incomprehensible He is. Yet, I want to know Him more.
One final note, I do want to be clear that I am not belittling retrospection and thankfulness; I know it is good to recount the blessings and faithfulness of the Lord to each other. It is an encouragement and a reminder of the hope we have. I also believe it helps us to fulfill Paul’s exhortation to us in Phil 4:8.
January 4th, 2005 at 10:29 pm
Karyn:
As I started to read this entry, I said to myself, “Wow, I hope Karyn isn’t going to limit God’s goodness in how He has blessed them!” And then you didn’t … hallelujah.
You are so right in how we’re given hope in God’s very essential good nature, and how the depths of our sorrow cannot hope to diminish God’s glory, no matter how it might seem at the worst of times.
Praise our God for his goodness!
January 4th, 2005 at 10:40 pm
The Goodness of God
It’s all too easy, as a Christian, to cast our relationship with God on our terms. I think that makes sense, because that’s what we do with all relationships—if you’re fighting with your significant other, you’re going to have a negative view of…
January 12th, 2005 at 9:05 am
Karyn,
Thank you for your heart of devotion to God and your family. I am truly thankful that God has blessed Jim and me with your friendship. I love you sister!