Good God! Episode #259

Psalm 34:8 opens the whole thing with a simple call, “taste and see that the Lord is good.” God is good now, God was good then, and God will be good all the way to the end. Circumstances change, economies change, governments change, friends change, health changes, emotions change, and seasons sure do change. But God does not change, and his goodness is not based on life getting easy. His goodness is based on his character.

James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, with no variation and no shadow of turning. God does not have good days and bad days. God does not wake up cranky, get hangry, or become less faithful. God does good because he is good. His nature produces his actions.

Israel’s story warns that one of the enemy’s greatest tactics is making God’s people forget. After the Red Sea, after the Passover, after deliverance, Psalm 106 says they believed his words and sang his praise, then “they soon forgot.” The rearview mirror becomes a picture for faith. The windshield is bigger because what is ahead matters, but every now and then the believer needs to glance back and say, “Look what God has done.”

David’s fight with Goliath shows how yesterday’s deliverance becomes fuel for today’s faith. The lion and the bear were not wasted fights. God used smaller battles to prepare David for a bigger one. The past victory said, “God delivered me before, and God can do it again.”

Romans 8 teaches that God is good right in the middle. The text does not say everything is good. Cancer is not good, divorce is not good, abuse is not good, death is not good, and sin is not good. But God is good, and God works all things together for good for those who love him.

Joseph’s life proves that evil does not get the last word. His brothers meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive. Pain may have a purpose bigger than the one who carried it. A redemption story can help somebody else know there is freedom on the other side.

Isaiah 55 teaches that God’s goodness does not depend on human understanding. God’s thoughts are higher, his ways are higher, and his word will not return void. Faith says, “I don’t understand, but I know who you are.”

Job’s worship shows that real praise can rise when nothing makes sense. Job lost nearly everything and still said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Calvary settles the question forever. While sinners were still a mess, Christ died, and that cross says God is good.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s goodness never changes God’s goodness does not rise and fall with health, money, family peace, or emotional strength. The Father of lights has no shadow of turning, so his character does not shift when life shifts. Faith has to move beyond a church chant and become a settled conviction that God is good because that is who God is. [03:10]
• 2. Memory fuels present faith Israel’s danger was not that God had failed, but that God’s people forgot what he had already done. The rearview mirror of faith matters because yesterday’s answered prayer can steady today’s shaking heart. David could face Goliath because the lion and the bear had already taught him that God delivers in real fights, not just easy moments. [08:29]
• 3. God works in the middle Romans 8 does not call evil good, and that distinction matters. Pain, betrayal, sickness, and loss are not baptized with fake optimism, but God remains able to redeem what the enemy meant to destroy. Joseph’s story shows that God can take the pit, the prison, and the betrayal, then bend them toward life for many people. [18:19]
• 4. Trust survives unanswered questions God’s goodness is not waiting for human understanding to approve it. Isaiah 55 lifts God’s thoughts and ways far above the limited reach of human explanations. Faith does not require every detail of the surgery, only confidence in the One whose word accomplishes what he sends it to do. [26:22]
• 5. Worship answers loss with God Job’s worship did not come after everything got fixed. Job blessed the name of the Lord while grief was still fresh, refusing to charge God with wrong. Calvary gives that kind of worship its deepest ground, because the cross forever settles the question of whether God is good.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:00] - Taste and See God Is Good
• [02:30] - Goodness Rooted in God’s Character
• [03:10] - Every Good Gift Comes From God
• [05:20] - God Was Good Yesterday
• [06:09] - Israel Soon Forgot His Works
• [08:29] - Faith and the Rearview Mirror
• [12:43] - David Remembered the Lion and Bear
• [16:09] - God Is Good in the Middle
• [18:19] - Not Everything Is Good, But God Is
• [19:25] - Joseph: Evil Turned for Good
• [23:49] - Goodness Beyond Understanding
• [30:29] - Goodness Leads to Worship
• [33:24] - Calvary Settles God’s Goodness
• [36:14] - Taste, Trust, and Respond

1. What does Psalm 34:8 invite believers to do, and what promise is attached to this action?
2. According to the sermon, how did Israel’s forgetfulness of God’s works lead to spiritual danger (Psalm 106:12-13)? [06:09]
3. What does Joseph’s statement in Genesis 50:20 reveal about God’s ability to redeem evil intentions? [19:25]
4. How did Job respond to losing everything, and what does this teach about worship in suffering? [31:04]

1. Why is God’s character—not circumstances—the foundation of His goodness (James 1:17)? How does this challenge common misconceptions about God’s nature?
2. How do past victories (like David’s lion and bear) fuel present faith? What might this imply about the purpose of smaller trials in our lives? [13:44]
3. Romans 8:28 says God works all things for good. How does this truth coexist with the reality that not all things are good (e.g., suffering, sin)? [18:19]
4. Why does Isaiah 55:8-9 emphasize that God’s ways are beyond human understanding? How might this shape our response to unanswered questions?

1. Reflect on a time when God delivered you from a difficult situation. How could remembering this “rearview mirror” moment strengthen your faith in a current challenge? [08:29]
2. Identify a situation in your life that feels “not good” (e.g., loss, uncertainty). How might Romans 8:28 reshape your perspective on God’s work in this season?
3. What unanswered question about God’s plan do you struggle with most? How can Isaiah 55:8-9 help you trust His goodness even without clarity? [26:22]
4. Job worshiped God amid devastation. What practical step could you take this week to worship God before a resolution to your pain?
5. Joseph’s pain had a purpose beyond himself. How might your story of redemption encourage someone else? Who could you share it with? [20:38]
6. When faced with a “Goliath”-sized problem, what “lion or bear” (smaller victory) from your past can remind you of God’s faithfulness? [13:02]