Is God good all the time?
It's incredible how often I have heard someone say, "God is good all the time; He is good." What catches my attention is that most of the time, it relates to something favorable God has done to the individual. Often, this phrase is used to feed our selfish desire. We hardly ever hear someone saying, "God is good, all the time He is good," when something tragic happens. It is exceedingly difficult to call tragedy, loss, or heartache "good." But if God is truly good, it must be true all the time. It's a truth that's easier to grasp when we have the proper perspective.
The Bible has many stories that help us understand perspective, including Ruth, one of the most beautiful books of the Bible. It's a beautiful story of God's goodness. Goodness from God's perspective but a challenging moment for Naomi. In verses 20-21, she says, "Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me" (NIV). Naomi had lost her husband and two sons. Her perspective at that moment was fully involved in a human view, not a Divine perspective. She was not able to see the whole story! Today, reading the book of Ruth, we can understand what was happening. From God's perspective, the story of redemption was flourishing. From God's perspective, Naomi's pain was good; salvation came to the world through Naomi's pain (Ruth 4:18-22). YES! "God is good; all the time, He is good."
Our human perspective leads us to say, "God is good, all the time He is good," when something good happens. We have the book of Ruth today to validate the understanding that even in hard moments, "God is good, all the time he is good." It's all about perspective.
Eduardo Mendes
Founder and President
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