Is God Good?

Sometimes life is hard.  Bad things happen to good people.  Things don’t turn out the way we expect.  You thought for sure God told you to do something, only to have it fall apart in front of you.  And the age-old question is brought back to the surface: Is God good?  

We’ve all asked the question at one point or another.  There’s no shame in it.  Does He really want what’s best for us?  Is He truly a good father? Can we trust Him?  I believe this question is fundamental to our relationship with God, and it will shape the way we respond to trial, adversity, each other and life in general.  

I used to entertain this question in my mind (really in my heart and emotions moreso) whenever things would go hard, or people would get hurt, or when I would experience the pain and suffering of the world.  When I met the impoverished blind girl in the Philippines who lived on a sheet of plywood, when we were handed babies who were malnourished and dying, when people I love would get cancer or live in perpetual pain and suffering.  

This isn’t new.  From the beginning of humankind with Adam and Eve in the garden, Satan gets them to question whether God is actually good and if He has their best at heart.  They took the bait. They allowed the question a place to land in their lives, and decided to let that suggestion grow in their hearts until it led them to walk away from the one who loved them most deeply.  

But a few years ago, something changed for me.  I feel as though God gave me a glimpse of His heart and helped me see that He is truly for me.  That He loves me deeply regardless of what circumstances may suggest. And as I have clung to that truth, it has truly changed everything.  It is now one of the anchors for my soul that helps me stay steady regardless of how big the storm around me seems.

In the midst of trouble, hardship, my neurotic emotions, I can be sure that He is good, and that He loves me.  It has stabilized my life and allows my heart to rest in His peace. As Paul says in Romans 8:31,38-39 – What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I just walked out of a time of worship with our Gap Year racers, and they were singing the song that says “You are good, you are good!”  Jesus, I pray that they would know how true that is! That you are good, that you love them and that you are at the right hand of the Father advocating for us in all things!  And when the voice of the enemy and the circumstances of life suggest otherwise, I pray that all of your children would know the same!

 

As a brief update for y’all, team Swan is doing great and loving life down here in GA!  As part of our role at Adventures, we fundraise to offset a portion of our salary in order to keep trip costs as low as possible for our participants so that more can experience and share the love of God alongside us.  We are currently in need of a few more people to join our financial support team.  If you are interested, reach out to us, or you can click the donate button on the left side of the screen.  Thanks for all that you’ve already done to love and support us!