The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God in the Midst of Struggle

Good morning. Our text today is Psalm 73, where the psalmist makes a foundational declaration: "Truly God is good to Israel and to those who are pure in heart." This is probably the most fundamental issue of our relationship to God—believing that we worship, obey, and follow a good God.

Scripture is full of the realities of God's goodness. When Moses begged God, "Show me your glory," God responded by showing him His goodness. Jesus Himself affirmed this when He said, "There is no one good but God." We grow up singing about it: "God is good to me. God is good all the time."

But what happens when our good theology about God's goodness is contradicted by our real experience in life?

When Life Contradicts Our Faith

It's that phone call from the doctor: stage four cancer. It's the stillborn child you've been anticipating. It's losing your job. It's watching someone prosper through dishonesty while you struggle despite your integrity.

I knew a woman whose husband left her for his office assistant. When she saw their Facebook pictures traveling and enjoying life together while she sat home alone, she couldn't help but ask: Why is God good to those who don't deserve it, but not so good to me?

The psalmist faced this exact problem. In verse 2, he tells us: "My feet had almost stumbled. My steps had already slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked."

This is dangerous ground. If God is not good, how can we trust Him? How can we follow a God we believe has wronged us? And perhaps we should just live life on our own terms.

Interestingly, this was Satan's primary tool in the Garden of Eden. He tempted Eve by suggesting that God wanted to restrict her, to hold her back. Basically, he was saying: "God is not good." That single lie—planted at the most pivotal moment in human history—led to the Fall of mankind, and we live with its consequences today.

Filing Our Complaints

The psalmist goes on to file his complaints (verses 4–12). He describes the wicked as having "no pangs until death," their bodies "fat and sleek" (a sign of wealth and prosperity in the ancient Near East). They are "not troubled as others are." Pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes swell with arrogance. They scoff at God and say, "How can God know? Is there any knowledge in the Most High?"

The wicked are always at ease and increase in riches. Meanwhile, the psalmist says (verse 13): "All in vain I have kept my heart clean. In vain I have washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning."

He throws himself a pity party. He's in total despair, almost yelling at God: "It's not working!"

The Pivot: Turning to God

But then something shifts. The psalmist makes a great pivot—he turns to God.

He says (verses 16–20): "When I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I discerned their end."

When he entered God's presence and saw life from God's perspective, everything changed. He realized that the wicked, in the long run, don't have much good to look forward to—they face the judgment of God.

This is the crucial dynamic: At the beginning, he looked at his problem and judged God. But when he entered God's presence, he switched the formula. Now he looked at God and sought His perspective on his problem. That's the trigger of the pivot—seeing our life from God's perspective.

Consider Christian Pulisic, the US soccer captain and a follower of Christ. When he faced a devastating injury that threatened his career, he didn't ask God to fix it. Instead, he said: "I just say, 'Help me to see this from your perspective.' Because I think when you do that... there's bigger things to come... he knows and he has planned for me and this is all leading up to it." After his injury, he became stronger and a better player.

Wrong Definitions Lead Us Astray

Part of our problem is that we have suffered from wrong definitions of what is truly good. If you get the definitions wrong, everything is wrong.

But when God straightens us out and we gain His perspective, we get a whole new definition of what is truly good. The psalmist unfolds four dynamics of God's goodness—and they are His goodness regardless of what's happening in our lives.

Dynamic One: The Presence of God

"Nevertheless, I am continually with you." (Verse 23)

This is the promise: "I will never leave you or forsake you." It's the comfort of Psalm 23: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I walk with you. My rod, my staff will comfort you."

Romans 8:28 reminds us: "I will work all things together for good to those who love God." Even behind the scenes, even in suffering, God is working with purpose.

Think of Joseph. He had every reason to believe God was not good. Yet at the end, when his brothers feared his revenge, he said: "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." This is the wonderful presence of God—working for our good and His glory through the very experience we're in.

If you think your problem is too big for God, remember the cross. Could there be a worse moment in human history than when Satan nailed Jesus to the cross? The promise seemed dead. Satan appeared to have won. Yet three days later, God turned that terrible moment into the greatest good and the greatest glory. We sit here redeemed because God has the ability to turn what is terrible into what is good.

When you get the presence of God, you get all of what God is: His love, His mercy, His faithfulness, His grace, His ways, His resources. It's like staying at an all-inclusive resort where everything is already paid for and all the amenities are yours. Psalm 103:2 says: "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all your benefits." His benefits are a massive package in life.

Dynamic Two: God's Protection

"You hold me by my right hand." (Verse 23)

This is another Hebrew metaphor for protection—like a parent holding a child's hand as they walk down a street. When a child's feet slip, the parent's grip saves them from falling.

God only permits into your life what He can turn to your good and His glory. Think of Job. God permitted Satan's testing, but He set boundaries: "You can do this and this and this, but you cannot do this to Job." God stands as the sovereign sentinel at the gates of your life, allowing only what He can redeem.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says: "He will never let you be tested above that which you are able, but with the testing will make a way of escape." The Lord knows your load limit and always limits your load. How good is that?

Dynamic Three: God's Guidance

"You guide me with your counsel." (Verse 24)

I don't always do the right thing. My first instincts are usually wrong. When someone offends me, my first instinct is not to forgive. My instincts lean toward impatience, toward my own ways.

But Proverbs 14:12 says: "There is a way that seems right to me, but the end thereof are the ways of death." When I follow my own instincts, it often leads to bad outcomes. I desperately need God's guidance.

God guides us to love others. He guides husbands to love their wives. He guides us to forgive, to be gracious, to love our enemies. His ways are always best. Even in suffering and difficulty, He shows us ways to walk and ways to respond.

Dynamic Four: Heaven Awaits

"Afterward, you will receive me into glory." (Verse 24)

Whatever trouble we're going through, it won't last forever. There is an end game: God welcoming us home.

Revelation 21 tells us: "There will be no more sorrow, no more tears, no more sufferings, nor pangs of death. And I will be with you. And I will be your God. And you will be my people."

When my dad was passing away, he asked us to sing his favorite hymn: "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory." How good is that?

My grandson asked me once, "Papa, is Grandpa dying?" I said, "Yes, but he's on his way to heaven." He asked, "What's heaven like?" I remembered what Paul wrote: "To be with Christ is far better. Far better than anything in your life." Heaven is so good that if we could fully imagine it, we'd probably jump off skyscrapers to get there.

What Is Truly Good?

What is truly good every day, every moment of your life? It's His presence. It's His protection. It's His counsel. And it's knowing that the best is yet to come—that He will welcome us home.

The psalmist finishes in almost ecstasy (verses 25–26): "Lord, I have nothing in heaven except you. And I desire nothing on earth beside you. My strength and my heart may fail, but you are my fortress and stronghold forever."

And he concludes: "It is good to be near God."

So I call you today to declare the goodness of God. Just as we celebrate the Declaration of Independence this weekend, let us declare the goodness of God:

• I rejoice in the goodness of God's protection, knowing that He will permit only those things He can turn into my good and His glory.
• I rejoice in the goodness of God for His guidance, knowing that His ways are always best.
• I rejoice in the goodness of God, knowing that one day by His grace, He will welcome me home, where all will be forever well in the joy of His presence.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing I desire on earth beside you. Even if my strength and my heart may fail, you will be my strength and portion forever.

It is good to be near God.