Devotional: God is Good
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
-Matthew 7:11
In English, the word “good” sounds underwhelming. If someone asked how your day was, you’d say, “Good” ... meaning that it was an average, run-of-the-mill day. Or if someone asks how you’re doing, you might say, “Good” ... when in reality, you’re not doing well. The word “good” is used as a filler when you want to avoid going into detail or when something is fine but there’s nothing special about it.
As a result, when the Bible says that God is “good,” we fail to interpret the depth of what that entails.
In Greek, the word for “good” is agathos. When used to describe God, it reveals that His nature is inherently morally perfect, absent of evil, distinguished, and worthy of honor. Jesus tells the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:17, “No one is good but One, that is, God.” Romans 10:13 also tells us that within humanity “there is none righteous, no, not one.” As you can see, the weight of the meaning of agathos is heavier than its English translation of “good.” In English, “good” is interpreted as average— not bad but nothing special. In Greek, however, “good” conveys something that is special and set-apart. It’s uniquely perfect and nothing compares.
God’s goodness means more than friendliness, amicableness, or morality. It means that He embodies ALL righteousness and perfection and wisdom and knowledge. It means that there is not an ounce of evil or unrighteousness in Him. He is the perfect judge and knows what everyone needs.
Once we believe in Jesus, we have the privilege of becoming God’s child (John 1:12) and He becomes our Father. And not only is God our Father, but He is a good Father. We can trust that he has the best intentions and plan for our lives. In Psalm 34:8, the writer beckons the readers: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” We taste and see that God is good when we choose to trust Him instead of being anxious about our lives. We taste and see His goodness when we read His Word, pray, and worship. When we keep our eyes fixed on Him, looking for Him in everything, we will be blessed and experience His goodness. And like Matthew 7:11 says, God wants to give us good gifts! It’s an outpouring of who He is as our good Father. Like a child, we can ask God for anything, and He will give it to us, as long as it is in His will for us and is good for us. A good Father isn’t going to give His children snacks and ice cream at bedtime just because they ask for it; a good Father will sometimes say no. If we ask to be a millionaire, but our motives are selfish, then of course He won’t open that door for us. Instead, He might answer that request by putting us in circumstances that cause us to tear down the idol of money. On the other hand, when we pray for something that lines up with His will, it might take time and patience, but He will give it to us.
As an example, my parents and I prayed for years for a godly husband. I even wrote letters to my future husband with faith that he really did exist. There were points where I started to doubt and wanted to settle. A guy I was dating was not exactly the godly man I had hoped for. He was Christian, but not a godly leader for me. It took faith to set an ultimatum in that relationship and when it ended, I learned that I could NOT settle. It taught me that I would rather be alone than settle for less than God’s best. Not merely for my sake, but my life would glorify God more to be alone than trying to be in an unevenly yoked (although Christian) relationship. Only a few months after that, Matt and I met. Almost immediately, we knew that we were God’s best for each other. Our love and desire to serve God was equally yoked. God proved faithful to provide a good (agathos) gift to both of us even though it took patience, prayer, and faith. Matt’s traits and qualities checked off every single thing on my list for a husband and more.
Trusting in God for a godly husband made me realize: why wouldn’t God want to provide a godly-leader husband for me especially since that is His design? James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” It made me realize that He wants to give us blessings that glorify Him, but we have to be patient.
Finally, it can be easy to conflate negative circumstances with God’s character. Most people, particularly non-believers, will do that. They will say things like, “If God is good, then why does He allow children to die, war, violence, etc?” Ironically, those are actions done by humankind, not by God. Yes, God could stop every evil thing immediately, but right now, we live in a fallen and broken world as a result of sin and Satan is the ruler of this world (1 John 5:19). One of the most important lessons I have had to learn, especially with chronic health problems, is not to correlate negative circumstances with God’s character. And something I am presently learning and transforming my mind is to not always categorize circumstances as “good” or “bad” but to see them as character growth. Sure, there are more favorable and comfortable circumstances than others, but the Bible tells us to be thankful in all circumstances and to be joyful when we experience trials. Our circumstances change, but God’s character of goodness never changes, even if we witness atrocities or experience hardships. That’s the joy of being a believer— we have the comfort of knowing that God will always be our agathos Father who looks out for us and knows what’s best for us. He will stay with us through thick and thin and redeem any act of evil for good. Genesis 50:20 says, ”But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” and Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for the good of those who love God.” Once again, every good thing in your life comes from God because He is good.
Take a moment:
Do you sometimes doubt that God is good? What causes those doubts?
What blessing/gift are you trusting in God for?
Think about all the times when God has faithfully provided for you. Does that help calm any fears or anxieties you have?
What is one way recently where you have “tasted and seen” that God is good?
Practically, how does believing that God is good change the way you live?
Believing that God is a good Father is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina