Is God Really Good?

A couple of days ago, I was reading in Mark. Typically, my prayer has been that God would reveal to me scripture that speaks to my present season of life (student teaching, future plans, singleness, etc). Instead, He revealed to me a deeper issue that applies to every facet of my entire life, not just this current season. I had just finished reading the account of God feeding the five thousand men* and the account of Him walking on water. Mark 4:40

And He said to them, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?

Then I read Mark 6: 50-52

...For they saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, 'Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.' Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.

They had not gained any insight from witnessing God's miracle with the food or by His walking on water. They did not see God as the same good God that performed miracles. They had little faith, a small concept of God's goodness. They just wanted to feel secure and at peace. They forgot about God's miracles. They forgot about God's goodness to them.

I forget in the moment too. Sure, ask me over a cup of coffee how God has been good to me in my life and I can detail specific accounts of His goodness. I love to talk about what He has done in my life. I love to hear about what He has done in other people's lives. I remember specific prayers answered so clearly it makes me smile. God knew my heart and He answered my prayer. I remember circumstances that brought my spirit low until He reigned over the issue and smoothed out the problem. Sophomore year, I remember sitting with a friend and wishing I had the ability to make her see how great and present God was in our lives, but could only let my tears of happiness be the testimony.

But, ask me when my soul feels on fire and my heart beats with uncertaintity and I have trouble feeling sure of God's goodness. I may robotically answer back with examples. But, I gurantee my heart will not be as willing to remember. Because of this, I wonder if I have gained any insight? Am I like Jesus's disciples who let the fear of the moment overcome the ability to recognize God as the same one who performed previous miracles in my life?


God must have known that His disciples would be surprised at His ability to walk on water and calm the sea. He knew they had learned nothing from watching Him feed five thousand men on five loaves and two fish. Their present preoccupation blinded them to who God was. They were afraid of the storm. All they could think about was cap-sizing and losing their lives. They thought about their wives and children. They thought about their livelihood and all the money they had invested in their boat and nets. They had resolved to death before they recalled God's ability to save them - God's goodness.

Why don't I believe God is good when times are tough? Why, all of the sudden, is my present situation bigger than the God of the Old Testament, who performed miracle after miracle?

Maybe it is because I am narrow-minded and the only perspecitive I am able to see from is my own. Maybe it is because I think I know what is best for my life, and my drive for attaining that squelches the freedom I have to live each day in submission to His plan.

There have been lots of books written on the topic of God's goodness; there have been sermons, Bible studies, and late night chats about believing He is good even during tough times. But I want something more. I want to start at the beginning. What is "good?"

In human terms, good is something positive, helpful, rewarding, pleasant, and happy, right, proper, excellant. Examples:
That is a good movie. I feel good today. That was a good slice of pie. Charlie Sheen is not good.

To God, good seems to carry a weighter implication. First of all, He is described as the good Shepherd. Good is a result of moral uprightness. Also, good requires discipline, acction, consciously choosing it over evil.

Amos 5:14 "Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, just as you have said!"

Luke 18:"...No one is good except God alone."

Romans 2:7-8"...To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immportality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and indignation.

Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

From scripture, it seems as though God's concept of goodness has little to do with feeling secure, happy, or at peace. This is not to say that those things will not come if we follow Him. Of course, He promises us rewards if we seek after Him. What I am talking about is the actual definition of good. According to scripture, good requires action, a choice to refuse evil, a conscious decision to follow after Christ.

If, to God, good requires action, choice, and the ability to resist evil, then, as promised in His word, we will someday reap the benefits of choosing Him over evil. Someday we will be rewarded. Our hearts will be happy because we have chosen Him, our outlook on life will be positive because our reliance is on Him, not our circumstances.

All this has led me think about my desire for God to "reward" me before I have made the active choice to follow Him. I want the goodness of Him as proof that if I make the conscious decision to trust Him, that it will be worth it. I want the treasure before the hunt. I want the safety net before the jump.

Is God really good? Yes.
Is my concept of goodness aligned with His? I think this is the more important question. Is my idea of good founded on scripture, or is it impacted by man's concept of good?

And now I think I will re-read Mark 4 and 6 in light of God's goodness. No matter what my present situation, our present situation, we can bank on the fact that God is good and that if we desire to follow Him, we must actively choose to resist evil. God help us to fight the good fight in following you and believing you are good.




*interesting tid-bit! When Jesus fed the five thousand, it was actually more than five thousand. That number refers to the number of men who were there; it doesn't include the women and children. So, really, God is pretty much a baller at feeding a large crowd. Take that Paula Deen.