God's Goodness

In Genesis 1:29-31, God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

Not just good, but very good.

This passage shows us that the goodness of God emanates from His character, extending generously to His creation. It isn’t simply that He created the universe and then detached Himself, and is uninvolved, as some believe. Instead, His goodness manifests in continuous engagement with His creation—nurturing, preserving, and caring for it. Likewise, God did not abandon humanity to navigate the complexities of life independently. He fashioned man in His own image, endowing him with the capacity to interact with the rest of creation and the Creator.

Even after man disobeyed Him and was banished from the garden, in His goodness, God revealed His redemptive plan, woven through the history of the nation of Israel. To demonstrate His care, God provided for His people through covenants established with Noah and Abraham. In times of peril, such as Joseph's time in Egypt, God orchestrated events to safeguard his family. Moses emerged as a chosen leader, guiding the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Even in the wilderness, amidst rebellion and distraction, God remained faithful to the preservation of His people. And in due time, He fulfilled His promise of blessing all the nations of the earth through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

But as Christians who’ve experienced salvation in Christ Jesus, there can be a tendency to lose focus on how awesome our God is. The relentless demands of daily life can consume our attention, diverting us from the contemplation of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe—our heavenly Father. In the words of the Psalmist, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." (Ps. 19:1). We know that’s true, yet does knowledge make us hunger to know Him more?

To those who want to know more about God, the question is two-fold. (a) What can we know of God and (b) where do we find it? What we can know about God is only what He has revealed to us as we learn of Him in Scripture and see Him in Creation. All other sources of knowledge of God come from speculation. And that speculation usually centers on our trying to bring an understanding of the infinite, unfathomable God down to our level.

A.W. Tozer wrote this about the confusing, head-spinning awesomeness of the infinite God:

“To admit that there is One who lies beyond us, who exists outside of all our categories, who will not be dismissed with a name, who will not appear before the bar of our reason, nor submit to our curious inquiries: this requires a great deal of humility, more than most of us possess, so we save face by thinking God down to our level, or at least down to where we can manage Him.”

So, to truly know Him, we need to reset our focus. Let your awareness of His goodness draw you away from the rat race to redirect your attention to the One who not only formed the heavens but actively upholds them. We do that through time in His word to read and meditate on Him. And time in prayer to speak to Him as a Father who loves us and wants to hear from us. This requires that we commit to resist life’s distractions and, instead, fix our gaze upon the Creator. Reflect on His sustaining hand, recognizing that His goodness is an ever-present reality.
Yes, we know our God truly is an awesome God, worthy of our highest praise and most humble service. So, together let’s strive to live each day in His presence.

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.” Amen. (Romans 11:36).


Credit: Ron Kelley