A good God.

The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:47

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this? Esther 4:14

God knows me by name and He chose me. God chose this season for me to be alive, to be born, to live. He chose the people and the places I interact with. God has given me my interests, my gifts, and this journey. He knows, even when I don’t. Sometimes He will reveal the mystery and when He does, I want to be ready. I want to have eyes that see and a heart that understands. And in order to be ready, I need to prepare with as much face time with God as possible. In other words, read His word, talk to Him, pray to Him, praise Him, be still with Him. That is how we get to know God more intimately and that is how we are able to use our influence to bless the people around us, to be a part of God’s strategic plan.

I was talking with my brother the other day about all we are going through in this season, and how all we can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other. It is about facing the day, showing up, and letting God work in and through me. Many days I feel like lying in bed, doing nothing, feeling nothing…but I know I have to keep moving forward. So, I do. Not by my power, but by God’s. I do have a part to play. I have to get up, I have to face the day, and then, I let Him do the rest. And He will, He has. Which leads me back to this thought, one I am relying on in this season: I serve a good God.

I looked up the definition of good, rather I googled the definition, and came up with this: to be good means to be desired or approved of, but that wasn’t enough to describe God. So, I went to the Hebrew word for good, tov. Tov has a fuller intent, which implies something which fulfills the purpose for which it was created. Some people have said that tov would be better translated with the word “functional” as in a well-oiled machine. One blogger put it this way, “It means capable of, presently engaged in the process of, and destined for, completely fulfilling the Devine purpose for which it was created.” -Lisa Schnedler

In other words, God is more than just “good.” That word good, it holds more weight than how we use it in English. It means God is: capable of anything, presently engaged in our lives, destined for, and fulfiller of Devine purpose. God is so much more than our English capabilities. But, in a world full of evil and darkness, how do we know that God is good? Excellent question. I have been walking through a pretty deep valley the past few weeks. My cousin Jacob was murdered on May 10, 2023. I knew evil existed in this world, but have never faced it so closely, never felt a pain like this, never walked through grief like this. But, God didn’t cause this. God didn’t kill Jacob. It was the enemy at work. What I have struggled with is this; I know to my core that God is the God of impossible and if it was His will, part of His Devine plan, He could have saved Jacob. I know this to be true. I watched Him save and protect Jacob too many times for it not to be. God allowed Him to die this time. And that rips me apart on the inside. How can my good God have allowed this to happen? Over and over again I have asked God, “WHY?” On the earthly side of it, we will never know. That is part of the mystery of God. I have wrestled with this over the past few weeks and I have found peace in knowing that God was most likely protecting and saving Jacob from more earthly harm, pain, and evil. God knew that Jacob was coming up to heaven, that He had Jacob’s heart and so what looks to us like death is in fact saving. God saved Jacob. And now, Jacob has no more pain, no more demons. He is at peace, in paradise forever. And we will meet him up there one day.

That, that is how I know God is good. I have also watched how He has protected me, my family, and Jacob’s loved ones during this grief. I have seen God move with a hedge of protection, comfort, and love. God made a way for me to be at Jacob’s funeral. God showed His love through my friends. He is with me in this valley; I feel His presence. My uncle Mike has said since the day Jacob passed, “This is not what God intended for Jacob’s life. This was the work of the evil one, but God will bring good out of it.” And He has. He will continue to bring beauty out of ashes. Why? Because He promises to.

I have been reading through the book of Matthew and recently read chapter 18. There is a lot of conviction in these verses, about sin, stumbling, all the hard truths. But, in the middle is the parable of the wandering sheep. Beautifully woven in between two hard truths we read this:

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12-14

Why does Matthew put this parable in between two talks about sin? I think it is to showcase just how good God is. He knows we are going to wander off, fail, sin, and yet, He chases after us. He chased after Jacob and when Jacob finally made it home, I just picture Jesus running to Him with open arms, full of JOY! And that’s what God wants for all of us. He wants all of His children in heaven.

…who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

God is at work, even when we don’t see it. His purpose is for everyone to believe in Jesus Christ, for everyone to repent, turn to Him and have eternal life. Because it is there where our sins are washed clean, our tears are wiped dry, and our pain is taken away. God will work His goodness in my pain and in your pain. I have seen Him at work already and I have so much faith that He is working right now. Although we don’t always see it we can rest assured that He is working, that His goodness will prevail; how? Because He is a good God.

The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:9

Gives thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

Love and blessings,