“For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Psalm 100:6 KJV

The Word of God declares that the Lord is good!  Being good, He always desires the best for us!  And He works to accomplish the greatest good for us.  The goodness of God is not only determined by what He does but is revealed to us in Who He is!  His goodness is the expression of His Person!  It is a reflection of His character and nature.  When Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden, he did so not only by twisting the truth of God’s Word but also by questioning the goodness of God.  (Gen. 3:4-5).   

God’s goodness does not mean that He always does what we want or gives us everything that we ask for.  A good parent does not do that for their children and our Heavenly Father does not do that for His children either.  There are times when, for our own good, He says “no”!  In those times when we do not understand why the Lord says “no”, we must learn to trust His goodness!  We must choose to trust His character and nature.  We must choose to trust the fact that when He says “no” it is because of His deep love for us!  Like any child, we may not understand it or like it at the moment.  But over time, as we grow and mature, we can look back and see that the Lord knew what was best for us all along. 

The goodness of God is expressed in His everlasting mercy.  His mercy is deep.  His mercy is eternal!  He never withholds His mercy from those who truly desire  Him and seek  Him!  All that He requires is a heart that is genuinely surrendered unto Him!  (Jer. 29:13). 

The goodness of God is revealed in His eternal Truth!  Unlike the world,  His Truth never changes!  What was true for Abraham, Moses, and David as well as the Early Church, is still true for us today.  They trusted the goodness of God, the mercy of God, and the Truth of God that was revealed unto them by His Word!  They staked their lives and their eternal destiny upon it.  And they reaped the blessings and rewards of walking in the Truth of God.  As a result,  they experienced the goodness of God. And they left for us a legacy,  showing us what it means to follow the Lord (Heb. 11: 1-40).  Therefore we can also walk in absolute confidence knowing that God is good.  He is merciful.  His Truth is eternal and the revelation of ultimate reality.  He did not fail those who have gone before us.  Neither will He fail us!  He is faithful!   And He is good!

Rev. James W. Black