Job 1:20-22, Job 2:9

Nick Welford challenges our understanding of God's goodness.

Nick Welford
Nick Welford

Every now and then I'll hear a Christian say something like, "I got the job/promotion/winning lottery numbers, (ok maybe not that one), God is good!" I think what they are trying to say, is they are thankful for the opportunities that have come their way.

There is a hidden assumption here that can potentially be damaging. Is God only good because good things have happened to you?

What about the people who didn't get the job/promotion/win fall? Is God good to them? I reckon it's time to disconnect God's goodness from our life experiences. God's goodness just is.

God is good. Full stop. God is good whether it rains or shines. God is good when I am feeling blessed and when I am feeling cursed. God is good! His goodness is not something that changes on a whim, it is a fundamental part of His nature. It does not change if you stub your toe helping someone out. It doesn't change if you find a tenner when you are having a bad day.

Job had a good life, until the events we read about in the book of Job. If his thoughts about God's goodness were correlated to his current experience, then Job would certainly have thought God a most excellent fellow. When everything Job has is taken away from him, we find him weeping on the floor. We might expect him to be rallying and railing against God, indeed a mere chapter later his wife helpfully tells him to, "Curse God and die." (Job 2:9)

Yet as Job is fresh with loss and pain, he instead falls to the ground in worship and says, '"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.'

That last line's a keeper. God is good.

Can we change our perspective and realise that no matter if the chips are up or down, God's goodness is reason to have hope. Can we say, "I got sacked. God is good." "Just got my MOT bill. God is good." Because God is good all the time.

All the time. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.