It seems like a ridiculous question doesn’t it? God is good…all the time. Still I think it is a reasonable question because it seems like one that is asked all of the time. Of course it is not asked quite so straightforwardly because people are aware of how silly the question really is and frankly I don’t think many people realize they are even asking this question when they do.

The interesting thing about the question is that it is most commonly asked by Christians. It can be seen in the following comments:

– God is so good he answered our prayers and (FILL IN THE BLANK HERE)
– We are blessed because (THE NATURAL DISASTER OF YOUR CHOICE) did not harm us
– God is good because it was another sunny day
– Work was awesome, God is good

Etc. You get the point. I know I can be accused of being a crank here and that there is no validity to my complaint but we, as the body of Christ, are the real presence of Jesus in the world and everything we say about God can be justifiably percieved by those outside of the faith as his words to them.

When we are heard on the news to say “God is good, he protected my son from the flood and brought him back to me alive” we are telling the truth but not the whole truth. The problem is that the parent of another child who died in the flood legitimately asks why God did not choose to protect  him or her? Either God is not good (and it would feel that way to the parent of the dead child at the time) or they are being punished for something or worse yet, maybe God is not really there and our fates are at the mercy of chance and the wind as it were.

The reality is that God is good all of the time and we do him and the world a great dis-service by recognizing it only when things go well for us. To speak of God’s goodness in the middle of disaster is not to be blind to pain and suffering but to be a reminder that no darkness is so complete that it snuffs out the light; That there is still good when evil seems ready to completely take over our lives.

We do not celebrate death, pain, darkness and destruction…we are right to weep, wail and mourn…but also to be lighthouses in the midst of the storm guiding others to the safe harbour of this good God. After all it is easy to be thankful and proclaim God’s goodness when things are going well (see the book of Job) but this kind of faith does not transform the world. When we can stand in the midst of our own wreckage and proclaim Him Lord of all and our sole source of comfort…this is the kind of foolishness that changes hearts. It is the gospel that Paul calls foolishness to the Gentiles…but it is a compelling foolishness.