The first year I took our students to summer camp during my youth ministry years, a leader from another church would yell out, “God is good!” to which a large group of kids and counselors would reply, “All the time!” Then the leader would scream, “All the time!” to which the group would answer, “God is good!” This would continue for a few rounds, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many of the young people really believed that, and how many were just joining in with the other campers. The reason I wondered was that I had many questions myself. As a “mature” adult, I had to admit I wasn’t so sure. Was God only good and always good?

 

It’s difficult to believe in the goodness of God when we can’t find any tangible evidence of it. It’s certainly hard to believe that God is good all the time. But as a recent article pointed out, “faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon it, no matter how we feel, because God promises a good result.” That’s where we experience God’s goodness: He doesn’t often take away the bad things, but He does work for the good in all things, whether good, bad, or indifferent.

 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

 

A couple of weeks ago, during a message from our series, Getting Rid of the Gorilla, I shared that I don’t always understand what God wants and doesn’t want. There are things He wants me to do (or not do) sometimes, and I really feel like I can’t obey Him properly. In certain situations, I don’t want to do what God tells me to do, or I want to do what He tells me not to do. But for all of my failures and weaknesses, I strive to obey God, anyway, because that’s what I signed up for when I answered Jesus’ call to discipleship. I put my trust, my very life, in His hands because I believe He is good and He loves me and He not only knows what’s best for me, He wants what’s best for me.

 

All the time? God is good!

 

Troy Burns