God is Good All the Time
I spend every New Year’s Eve the same way: singing until my voice becomes raw; meditating on ancient passages of scripture, and prayerfully seeking the continued presence of God over the months to come. Whether in a cold, creaky sanctuary or a bustling conference hall, New Year’s Eve is always spent in church and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My favourite part of the New Year’s Eve watchnight service is testimony time when individuals share stories of God’s miraculous and pleasantly surprising work over the past 12 months. There are stories of medically confounding healings, restored relationships, the provision of financial needs and deliverance from all forms of pain and suffering; the type of stories we read about in the Bible and wonder whether God will do the same thing today. These testimonies inspire hope in those awaiting God’s “yes and amen”. They are reminders of God’s active involvement in our lives, his loving faithfulness that knows no bounds. They are evidence that God is good.
But for every story of triumph and celebration, there is a story of heartbreak and pain. For some, 2024 was marked by the unexpected death of a loved one, the progression of a debilitating disease or an income source run dry. Turn on the news and you will find no shortage of reasons to weep. Some are ending the year broken and battered, crying out with the psalmist, “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord—how long?” (Psalm 6:2-3, NRSV).
“O Lord—How long?”
On New Year’s Eve, I doubt any church is filled with vocal cries of O Lord—how long? We don’t invite those in the pit of suffering to share their stories before the countdown to midnight. Lament seems to be contrary to the holiday spirit. Testimonies of triumph and celebration trigger the thanksgiving and happiness we want to experience at the start of the year. They make it easy for us to affirm the goodness of God. But stories of suffering force us to ask uncomfortable questions. Is God good while we languish? Is he good when the answer to our prayers is no? Is he still good when the response to our cry of how long is to wait a little longer?
Yes, He is.
The same psalmist who cries out in anguish appeals to God for deliverance on the assuredness of his steadfast love. The word steadfast means immovable or firmly fixed in place. God is love and so his love does not grow dim or fade, regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in. If his love is steadfast then so too is his goodness. That is what makes him God. As Psalm 107:1 commands us, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.”
God’s goodness is demonstrated in his favourable answer to our prayers and in the comfort of his presence in our darkest hour. His goodness is evidenced as we surrender our desires to him and experience the strengthening of our character. Whether at the top of the mountain or in the pit of the valley, God’s love makes his goodness accessible to us. So as that familiar call and response declares, “God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.” But saying these words isn’t always easy.
“God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.”
I heard bible teacher and psychotherapist, Dr. Serita Lyons speak about suffering at a women’s conference last fall. Near the end of her talk, she acknowledged the difficulty of reconciling God’s omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence with the problem of suffering. She called us to consider that God knew about the worst things that would happen to us, he was present while they happened and did not stop them from happening, though he could have. How can God be good when this is true? Dr. Lyons pointed us to the cross. Jesus knows what it is to ask his Father to remove him from the path of suffering and to be told no. But he endured the pain of the cross because he trusted the God that allowed him to be crucified. He knew the joy that awaited him: being with us for eternity. When you wonder whether God is good, look to the cross. There you will find the fullest expression of God’s love and goodness.
My faith soars when I celebrate with a brother or sister over good news but it deepens, roots burrowing into the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, when I grieve with those whose hope is resolute in the Lord. I am challenged and edified by the fierce love of those who cling to the Lord in their darkest moments. We lose something profound when we choke out stories of lament, waiting only until they have a happy resolution. Some wounds will only be healed in Paradise but the story of those wounds still holds immeasurable value in this life. We need both stories, testimonies of celebration and lament, to truly trust and believe in the fullness of God’s goodness.
