I have been having a thought lately about what it means when I say the phrase “God is good.” Lately, I send this out as my response when someone sends me exciting news like “I got a job” “I passed the exam” or “I bought a new house” or “I had a baby.” This is my way of celebrating the good news and attributing the moment to God’s infinite goodness. I know God is good and good things come from Him but I couldn’t help but challenge my response lately……I sat recently when I got another message and I typed “God is good.” At that moment I questioned myself, is He indeed good because of this good news, if yes, then what happens when it is bad news, is He still good?

It took me a few seconds to think through it and I quickly said out loud like a programmed response, Yes! God is good, all the time. He is good even when faced with bad news. As I carried on through the week I was forced to dig deeper by the constant recollection of the question in my mind and really examine my response. I never for once doubted the goodness of God in spite of what we go through, but I guess why the question still occupied space in my mind was “Will I still say God is good in the face of bad news.”

I resettled with this for days because although I would want to say, “Yes of course I will” I needed to ask myself some hard questions. Do I only see the good nature of God when life is good and seems fair? What about when the job never comes through, what about when the person dies in spite of the prayers and faith, what about when the baby dies even after believing with all your heart, what about when you get news of another divorce of a close friend, what about when you read another case of sexual abuse, what about when you see others struggle, what about when the worst of your imagination happens Shile,…..can you really bring yourself to say “God is good.”

In my quiet time, I resolved that God is good in every season. When we sing that He is a God of the mountains and the God of the valleys that means He is the God of the highs and lows. This means that His ability to be good is not dependent on anything else and His goodness does not change based on circumstance. In fact, it is the opposite, His goodness is certain, steady, and never changing. Because of the fallen state of man, life is not fair and we have what we call “good things” that happen to us that are worth celebrating and we have “bad things” that hurt and make us sad, but these two things don’t change His goodness. I came to the revelation that God doesn’t need my acknowledgment of his sovereignty for him to remain sovereign or my acknowledgment of Him as God for Him to be God. He doesn’t become less God or less good because I say it or don’t say it, His goodness is a constant part of his character.

I recognize that in the face of difficulty, it truly is hard to say “God is good” but I know He is. I remind myself that although what happened is not good, it doesn’t change the fact that the one who is Lord and master over my life, is Good. So if this God who has good and perfect plans for me is with me in these “bad times” then I am assured that though the situation is not good, He is good. I am also reminded of what Jesus said; we will have troubles in life but we should take heart because he is with us. I also know that God never wants us to pretend so we don’t say he is good out of religious obligation. Sometimes getting to a place where we can say He is good in the midst of a bad situation takes time; which is time he gives. In that time, He heals, He comforts, He surrounds us, He counsels, and provides all we need to allow us to return back to a state of wholeness and shift our perspective. Never be condemned for feeling what you feel but remind yourself of what is true in that season until the truth of who he is matches up with your confession. The promise of the Good God’s presence in every season is comforting to me and I have seen in some incredibly hard situations that it is only His presence that can bring us through the good and bad and that in itself is Good.

I pray that God will give us the grace to say in every season that “God is good” and remember that our praise and adoration of Him is not based on what he does for us but on the reality of who he is, our good God.