Good Lord: A 5-Day Devotional From David LeonardSampel

All the Time, God is Good

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that he has redeemed them from the power of the foe.

– Psalm 107:1-2

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

—James 1:17

Chances are strong you’ve heard someone ask this question: “If God is good, why do bad things happen?” You may have even wondered this yourself. It’s hard for us to reconcile the goodness of God with things like war, pandemics, and social injustice. It’s not just those global issues, either. For many people, personal circumstances affect and even define how they see God. Scripture addresses this human tendency with a stunning absolute—whatever you think or experience, God is good all the time and forever.

The psalmist didn’t know exactly how God would ultimately redeem His people from trouble, only that He would. So, he called God’s people to give thanks. Then James, looking backward at Jesus’s work on the cross and His resurrection, echoed the same truth. The same God the psalmist declared as having steadfast love that endures forever was still responsible for every good and perfect gift centuries later. He was unchanging then, and He is unchanging now and forever.

Since sin entered the world, circumstances changed, and bad things happen. But God remains untouched and unchanged by sin. He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Our thankfulness and worship of God, then, isn’t predicated by our circumstances but His character. So remember who He is, and go ahead and sing about it. No matter what’s happening in the world or what season we are in, it’s never wrong to believe that God is good all the time. Past, present, and future—God is always good. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He has redeemed us from our trouble and draws us to Himself.

·Do you tend to focus more on who God is or what your circumstances are? Why does it matter?

·The chorus of “Good Lord” states, “Good Lord, I got a good Lord.” Name some specific reasons you know that’s true.

·Take some time to remember God’s goodness in your life and praise Him for it.