Hopefully as we look back on the past few years, we can find many reasons to celebrate. A birthday or an anniversary; a new job or a promotion; a new child or grandchild in the family; a graduation or certification; a salvation or baptism; answered prayer; experiencing God’s presence and power in ministry. In each of these experiences, we see the goodness of God. How have you seen and how are you celebrating God’s goodness in your life and ministry?

Just a few months ago we wrapped up six years of incredible ministry in a small church in a small city in Washington State. During those six years we celebrated over 100 first-time surrenders to Jesus and over 60 baptisms, including many teenagers. We launched a youth ministry that reached several hundred students over the six years. We also became a praying church, seeking the face of God in corporate prayer in our services every Sunday and in a midweek youth group gathering. I will never forget the first time an elementary-age kid prayed out loud using one of our worship-based prayer prompts. Corporate prayer became an anticipated and favorite part of our services, often indicated as a primary reason why new people decided to stay and become part of our church. Every week we were celebrating the goodness of God in our personal lives and in our ministry as a church.

When God called my family to relocate and help lead another church, we faced a very important decision. The easy and comfortable choice would be to stay put, to stay in the familiar and established rhythms of life and ministry. However, God’s call to go was so clear and compelling we had to say “yes.” It meant letting go of our home, not yet knowing what home God would provide in our new location. It meant letting go of our community and wondering who our new friends would be and how long it would take to find them. It meant letting go of a church family we loved so much to embrace a new church family we really knew nothing about. In it all, we had to choose moment-by-moment to trust the goodness of God.

Any time we are faced with an uncertain future our faith goes through testing. But, when facing an uncertain future, we can be certain about the goodness of God. Psalm 119:68 reminds us, “You are good and only do good.” There is never a moment when God is not good. There is never a moment when what God does is not good. When God pours out blessing in our lives, He is good. When God allows struggles in our lives, He is good. Remember Job? After losing everything, he declares, “The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21). God is good and always does good.

Any time we are faced with an uncertain future our faith goes through testing. But, when facing an uncertain future, we can be certain about the goodness of God.

Another great truth about the goodness of God is that God is always doing something good for you, even in the hard moments of life. Paul teaches us in Romans 8:28 that we can be confident that “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Yes, even in the hard moments of life, God is good and is doing something good for you.

God is always doing something good for you, even in the hard moments of life.

My dream of playing professional baseball was once close to being realized. I was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1999, but did not sign and instead accepted a scholarship to play ball at the University of Washington. During my freshman year at UW I sustained an injury that required surgery, the first of three such injuries over the course of three years until my baseball career came to an end, along with my dream of playing professionally. Yet, even in these hard moments God was doing something good for me. He humbled me and made me dependent upon Him. He gave me a new life-vision of living for His glory, used me to share the gospel with every teammate and coach I had at UW, and eventually called me into pastoral ministry

Since God is good, always does good, and is always doing something good for us, even in the hard moments of life, what would be a worthy response from us? Psalm 136:1 encourages us, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Thank Him for His goodness. Thank Him for His promise to be working in all things for your good. Furthermore, choose to trust God for His goodness that you will experience today, tomorrow, and every day, no matter what life brings your way. Psalm 34:8-10 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him! Fear the LORD, you His godly people, for those who fear Him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.”

God is good and always does good.

As you are considering God’s goodness in this very moment, I think now would be a good time to pray. Here are a couple prayer prompts you might find helpful:

• LORD, thank You for showing me Your goodness in _____.
• LORD, as I go through _____, I will trust Your goodness for ____.

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