GOD IS GOOD ALL THE
TIME
Psalm 136
begins with these words: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good . . . ” (v.
1) The rest of the entire psalm then is based on God’s abundant goodness. Psalm
136, among other places in the Bible, makes clear that God is good by nature.
Growing up, I often heard people exclaim, “God is good . . . ” to which others
would respond with, “All the time!” Then the saying would be reversed to, “All
the time God is good!” The substance behind this factual statement is that
God’s goodness is not dependent on anything but himself. In fact, all goodness
is a derivative of the character of God. Therefore, God does not have to act in
a particular manner to be good; he is already good by nature.
God’s
goodness has a plurality of implications for the church. We worship a good God.
How then do we reconcile God’s goodness in a troublesome world? I have three
thoughts toward this end that should help us in our approach to worshiping an
inherently good God.
God’s Goodness Is a Perpetual Fact
We must,
first, recognize that God’s goodness is a perpetual fact not dependent on
anything including circumstances. We
often (and perhaps subconsciously) think of goodness in terms of acts, as if
goodness is the result of good works. Goodness, nonetheless, is not derived
from works, but works are derived from goodness. With that thought, the Bible
teaches that every good and perfect gift is from God (Jas 1:17a). Furthermore,
James assures us that God is unchanging (Jas 1:17b); his goodness is
transcendent. God is the source of goodness so when circumstances are terrible,
it is not a reflection of God’s goodness or lack thereof, but it is, in fact, a
consequence of humanity’s sin. God, on the contrary, is perpetually and
eternally good, and we should worship him as such.
We Should Respond to God for Who He Is
I often
remind people that our first reason for worshiping God should not be his great
and wonderful works in our lives but rather who he is. It should not take much
pondering to realize that we do not deserve God’s benefits; yet, we often need
that reminder. We should not fail to realize that God’s benefits toward his
people are utterly undeserved. If we worship God for who he is more than what
he has done, his perpetual goodness is brought into the scene. Goodness is an
eternal characteristic of God. We then should never assume God is not good
because of the circumstances in our lives. A large part of the constitution of
worship is satisfaction in the object of worship. If our satisfaction is in the
God we worship, the acts he does or does not perform will not negate the
worship we give. Irrespective of what God does or does not do as in the subject
of worship (the one who acts), he has been and will always be the object (the one
to whom worship is given).
I do not
mean to minimize the importance of praising God for his many benefits; in fact,
the psalmist does so in Psalm 103. Nevertheless, God’s benefits should not be
the primary reason we consider God’s goodness. He is good by nature.
Additionally, we frequently fail to remember God’s goodness. For example, when
there is a horrific plane crash with no survivors, questions usually arise that
go something like this: “How could a good God allow something like this to
happen?” Yet, how often do we remember to thank God in his continued provision
for the tens of thousands of planes that take off and land each day? I think we
have it upside down when we think that God’s goodness is based on his acts.
Tragedies and catastrophes are not pleasant; yet, even they result from God’s goodness
even though we often cannot possibly understand how. We should, first and
foremost, worship him for who he is.
In Job 38,
God himself responds to Job’s critical and questioning attitude with a series
of “Who are you?” and “Where were you?” questions. It was a reminder Job needed
to put him in his place and a reminder which we often need. We are not good by
nature because we are not God. The situations we face then should not determine
our worship, but our worship should build upon the foundation of who God is. He
is good by nature; we must never fail to remember that consistent truth.
A Heart of Worship Recognizes God’s Goodness Not Because of His Works
but Irrespective of His Works
A
foundational aspect of worship is satisfaction in God, which is irrespective of
his works. If God is good by nature, then his works do not determine his
goodness. A worshipful heart recognizes this. If we find it difficult to
worship God during trials or if we even cease to worship God during trials, we do
not exhibit the heart of worship. Certainly, it is difficult to function in
many aspects or to even make it through our daily affairs when we face
tribulation; nonetheless, worship should be a vastly different issue because
proper worship does not depend on circumstances. We may be tested, but if
circumstances are the basis of our worship, we are truly not worshiping God to
begin with.
God is
good; it is his very nature. All his works then are derived from his goodness.
This means that when we cannot understand what he is doing and when situations
in our lives do not make sense, God is still good. With a faithful devotion to
worship, we can say clearly and with assurance that no matter what is going on
around us, “God is good all the time and all the time God is good.”
