GOD IS A GOOD GOD
Charles W. Holt
email: cholt@gt.rr.com
For several years during the late ¡¦40s and throughout the ¡¦50s Oral Roberts was a leading evangelist in America. At one time he had the world¡¦s largest gospel tent which his team erected in the largest cities in America and overseas. It would seat upwards of 12-15 thousand people and would be filled night after night. I participated in one of those meetings when I was a pastor in Southern California.
Bro. Roberts had an expression he often used when he preached. Grasping the mike stand with his left hand, while holding the mike close to his mouth and waving an outstretched right hand, he would shout, "God is a good God. (Pause) The devil is a bad devil!" This became a trademark expression of his.
"God is a good God," Oral Roberts would say to encourage people to believe they could receive a miracle of healing or have other needs met because a "good God" does good things for people. He still is and He still does.
ƒÞ A "good God" saves from sin and delivers from the power of Satan.
ƒÞ A "good God" heals the sick.
ƒÞ A "good God" delivers from oppression or even demonic possession.
ƒÞ A "good God" supplies all your needs "according to His riches in Glory."
ƒÞ A "good God" guides, protects, provides, and bestows countless blessings in countless ways.
ƒÞ As the Psalmist would say, "A good God ¡¦daily loadeth us with benefits¡¦" (Psa. 68:19 KJV).
You and I believe and declare that GOD IS A GOOD GOD! We DO believe that, don¡¦t we? We believe this truth every day, in every way, in any and all circumstances. We believe that God is a good God. We are on solid Scriptural ground when we say, "God is a good God." I want you to hear these passages:
1. Psalm 25:8 -- Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
2. Psalm 34:8 -- O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
3. Psalm 69:16 -- Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
4. Psalm 85:12 -- Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
5. Psalm 100:5 -- For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
6. Psalm 106:1-- Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
7. Psalm 107:1 -- O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
8. Psalm 118:1-- O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
10. Psalm 118:29 -- O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
11. Psalm 135:3 -- Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
12. Psalm 136:1 -- O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
13. Psalm 145:9 -- The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
14. Jeremiah 33:11-- The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
15. Lamentations 3:25 -- The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
16. Nahum 1:7 -- The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Reading and repeating the several passages affirming that God is good leaves us with good feelings. We feel uplifted and happy. It¡¦s like Jeremiah who also said, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16).
It is easy to believe God is a good God when things are going our way, when our prayers are being answered, when we are in good health and all our bills are paid. I would like to leave us in that high
and lifted up state but I must make a slight turn here one that may have the effect of putting a chill on what we have just affirmed.
I will begin by saying that in all honesty we must admit that despite our own vigorous and joyful profession there are a lot of people in our country, if not around the world, who are having a problem of believing that God is a good God. Many have expressed this sentiment as a result of the Sept.11 event in NY City.
Some people seriously, sincerely, believe that God caused that awful event. If God did that, how can we say He is a good God? The people who seriously and sincerely do not believe God caused the terror attack and the resulting deaths of thousands wonder why He, as a good and sovereign God, did not prevent it from happening. Perhaps you have thought the same thing. It creates an interesting dilemma for many.
Think about it. The death of nearly three thousand individuals within a matter of minutes doesn¡¦t square with the fact that God is a good God. The fact that children are now without a mother or a father as a result of that horrific event doesn¡¦t square with the fact that God is a good God. At least it doesn¡¦t in the minds of many. If one chooses, it would be difficult to see the goodness of God in any of it.
I am not, however, going to back away from the Bible¡¦s clear revelation of our God. He is a good God! I DO NOT understand, I DO NOT know the mind and purpose¡Xthe ways¡Xof God. I will admit that there are times when it seems to me that His ways are contradictory. The Bible says one thing but it doesn¡¦t match up with life¡¦s circumstances¡Xmy circumstances. It seems contradictory. My faith is challenged. I am thrown back into His word to search deeper for a clearer understanding of His character. These things shake me--they shake my faith. It does not destroy my faith. It does not move me from a position of faith. I believe in a good God in spite of the bad things that I see happening around me. I believe in a good God when bad things happen to me. I have too many Bible reasons for believing it is true.
However, I find that I am not alone in wrestling with this idea of God being a good God especially when I view it from the vantage point of what has become so well known as "ground Zero" in New York City. The images of the twin towers falling are burned into our minds. Just mention it and we can visualize it. When the Apollo XIII mission to the moon turned into a near disaster situation Houston¡¦s Mission Control heard the astronauts from space say, "Houston, we have a problem." The terror attack in NYC has many saying, "God, we have a problem." "Church¡XChristians¡Xwe have a problem!" What do we say? Is God a good God?
Having said that, I must search for answers. I must question. I must reason. I must seek to find how my good God works in the midst of tragedies despite the sights and sounds and feelings that cry otherwise. But I am not alone in my pursuit.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association publishes Decision magazine, which I receive monthly. In the October 2001 issue I found an interesting article written by Gary A. Haugen who is the president of International Justice Mission, in Washington, D.C. I want to quote a portion of what he has written and focus briefly on a couple of questions he poses. It is important to remember this article was written before and even printed before the events of September 11. He says,
"A student once asked me what I thought was the most difficult thing for people to believe about Christianity. When I thought about a response, a surprisingly clear answer emerged from the sea of faces assembled by my memory from African villages, Latin American barrios and Asian slums.
"I believe that the most difficult thing for people to believe about Christianity is the idea that God is good," I replied.
"Why is that?" the student asked. "Because people are in so much pain," I replied.
(NOTE: remember this is written prior to Sept. 11. Had he written after the attack he would have used that event to illustrate his point. Instead, he uses other examples.)
For instance, every day more than 30,000 children in the world die from preventable causes. Another 1.5 billion people around the globe have no access to medical care. Millions of children are homeless and live on the streets in massive urban centers.
For these hurting masses, how is it believable that God is good? How do Christians make the argument for God¡¦s goodness in the face of such pain?"
Two questions emerge: (1) For hurting masses, how is it believable that God is good? (2) How do Christians make the argument for God¡¦s goodness in the face of pain?
We may not be able to comprehend "hurting masses" but there is not one person here who has not seen "the face of pain" up close and personal to one degree or another. We saw it in the Oklahoma City bombing four or five years ago. We have seen it in the faces of the people of NY City. Not only have we seen it from a distance, we have experienced it in our personal lives, in our families, in our friends. Pain comes unexpectedly, uninvited. Pain comes without an explanation or reason. Pain comes whether we think it is fair or unfair. Pain knows nothing of race, creed or color. Nothing of wealth or poverty. Christians and unbelievers suffer pain. Christians and unbelievers sometimes struggle with the concept of "God¡¦s goodness in the face of pain." When they do, what do we say?
Some want to ask, "If God is good, why am I hurting? If God is good, why did this painful thing happen? If God is good, why doesn¡¦t He take it all away?" They conclude¡Xwrongfully so¡Xthat since they can¡¦t understand their pain, and suffer their pain, that God is in some way other than a good God They want to pound on God¡¦s chest and scream, "God, if you were good You would have stopped that tragedy. If you were good You wouldn¡¦t allow me to hurt so much ¡V or these little innocent children. God, You can¡¦t be good because all this trouble is here and all these people, including myself, are hurting."
I¡¦ve got an answer. I have a solution. It is not an answer or solution that most want to hear. In fact, I doubt that any want to hear what the real answer is. You may question and doubt the answer I give. My answer is a blow to human pride, even to human arrogance. My answer requires humility¡Xsomething that many of us are not really good at. Above all, my answer requires faith.
Listen. The question is not whether God is or is not good. He IS good. The problem lies in our PERCEPTION of His goodness. The problem lies in whether or not we RECOGNIZE His goodness, whether or not we understand His goodness and acknowledge His goodness even in the midst of tragedies.
Now listen. I have a solid Scripture answer as to the reason why we don¡¦t recognize and acknowledge His goodness, why we don¡¦t know it or understand it. Remember that it is a matter of perception. God is always good. We just don¡¦t see it. It is either because we can¡¦t see it or we choose not to see it. And I¡¦m going to be the first to tell you that it is sometimes very difficult to see it, to understand it.
The reason for our¡¦s and other¡¦s misunderstanding on this subject is clear. It is found in Paul¡¦s first letter to the Corinthians. It is found in one of the most read and quoted chapters in that book. The answer consists of eight words. Paul said, "For now we see through a glass darkly" (13:12 KJV). To understand this verse I want to use both the Amplified Version and the Living Bible.
"For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma]¡K" (Amplified Bible)
When you think of "blurred reflection," think of the times your bathroom mirror has fogged up and you could barely see your face. You could barely see a form. It was indistinguishable, fuzzy, blurred. This is the idea Paul is conveying about our understanding of
God and His ways. The Greek word "darkly" (KJV) in this verse is ainigma (ah¡¦-ee-nig-ma) from which we get our English word enigma, meaning riddle. The KJV uses the word, darkly. It means, " an obscure saying, enigma, riddle, an obscure thing. God and His ways are
an enigma, a riddle. Listen to this:
"In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at His reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see Him in His completeness, face to face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now." (Living Bible)
"We can see and understand only a little about God now." How true. Unfortunately, we are not ready to accept our "little understanding" which means to continue walking in faith and confidence in His goodness. Rather, like the Israelites of old who were only a few days out of Egypt¡¦s slavery and witnesses to the miracle of God¡¦s deliverance, we want to create a god we can see, touch, and manipulate. So we create our own golden calf that, we hope, will meet our "felt" needs, provide meaning to our mysteries, answers to our "why" questions; basically make us feel good about ourselves and about how good God is. Sadly, when our golden calf fails to meet those needs we don¡¦t feel good about ourselves, our circumstances, and this leads us to question the goodness of God. We resort to living by sight and not by faith!
While preparing this message I came upon an editorial piece that centers directly upon the Sept. 11 tragedy in NYC. It caught my attention because its theme is basically the same as I have been talking about in this message.
Mr. Leonard Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald. His column appeared in the Beaumont Enterprise on Sunday, October 7, 2001. He began by saying:
Standing uneasily at the altar, the minister explained that he had come to a conclusion, one he didn¡¦t expect us to like. Maybe, he said, God allowed the planes to be stolen, and the people to die, because He was helpless to stop it. Maybe He didn¡¦t have the power.
The silence was as sudden as it was stunned. No one said Amen. No one stirred. Nothing moved. He went on speaking. Two women quietly gathered their things and left. My wife and I turned to each other. She wanted to follow them as an act of protest. I wanted to stay as an act of faith.
But as the sermon went on, it became clear that faith would not be rewarded. This wasn¡¦t some clever speaker using a daring rhetorical device. This was just what it seemed to be: a man of God publicly struggling with a crisis of conviction. Of all I¡¦ve seen in the wake of Sept. 11, this was, in some ways, the most dismaying.
In churches, synagogues and mosques, people are left to define and defend what it means to believe in a world where belief suddenly seems either a weapon of war or an act of futility.
After all, the men who hijacked the planes thought they acted at the behest of Allah.
¡K¡KIt occurs to me that God, especially in times of crisis, has more spokespeople than Amway. Some simply seek to divine the divine. Others claim to know His mind and motives as surely as if they had read His diary.
But so many times what you discover is that people have created God in their own image. That they interpret Him according to their petty biases and predispositions, attribute to him their political party and ball team, their motivations and hatreds, their timetable and comprehension.
¡K¡KWe shake our fists at God for daring to live outside our imaginings. We curse the skies for raining down unfair misfortunes. We see suffering and wonder why.
Have you ever seen suffering and wondered why? I have. You have too.
Mr. Pitt¡¦s has written an interesting piece and several things are begging for comment but I refuse to acknowledge the tugging to go there. Instead I want to lift out only three or four sentences that speak for themselves but, more importantly, they have an application in my message on God¡¦s goodness. I call your attention to the words: "But so many times what you discover is that people have created God in their own image. That they interpret Him according to their petty biases and predispositions, attribute to him ¡Ktheir motivations and hatreds, their timetable and comprehension." Later he says, "We shake our fists at God for daring to live outside our imaginings. We curse the skies for raining down unfair misfortunes. We see suffering and wonder why."
In other words, "we see suffering and wonder why" if God is so good that He would allow suffering. And, not being able to satisfactorily figure it out, in our attempt to create reasonable answers, we "create God in our own image¡Kinterpret Him according to our petty biases and predispositions, attribute to him our motivations and hatreds, our timetable and comprehension." Simply put, we make God into a man! We make God think like we think. See what we see. Reason on the lines of our understanding and wisdom. If I think it is unfair, God surely must think it is unfair too!
I want to use a story to illustrate -- and rather poorly perhaps -- how we miss seeing God¡¦s goodness because it doesn¡¦t come wrapped in the package that has the words "miracle" marked clearly on all sides. Or written in Braille for the visually challenged. This is a story you have heard. I have heard it a couple of times and, absent a copy of the original, I must rely upon my poor memory to recall the main points. I may miss something that you will remember. Feel free to fill in the blanks.
As I remember the story, it was set in our nation¡¦s Midwest possibly along the Mississippi River. It had been raining without ceasing for days. The floodwaters began to rise in a certain little town located along the river. The radio broadcast emergency calls that everyone should evacuate their homes. An old man refused to listen to the warnings. The water continued to rise. He said, God will take care of me. The waters continued to rise, reaching the top of the porch. A boat came along and the rescue workers urged the old man to get in. He said, God will take care of me. The waters continued to rise driving the man to the roof of his house. A helicopter flew overhead and rescuers cried out to him to take hold of the ladder they had dropped. He yelled, God will take care of me. The waters continued to rise until the house was consumed and the old man was swept away. Fortunately he went to heaven. No sooner had he arrived that he confronted God about the disaster. He said, "God why didn¡¦t you help me? Why did you abandon me in my greatest hour of need? Why did you let me down? Why didn¡¦t you rescue me?" God said, "I did everything I could. I sent you warnings over your radio to get out, move to higher ground. I sent a boat to your front door but you refused to get in. I sent you a helicopter but you refused to take hold of the ladder."
The moral of the story is clear. The man had a preset notion of how God would take care of him. To quote Leonard Pitts, he interpreted God according to his own petty biases and predispositions. He set the timetable according to his misguided comprehension of how and when God would "take care of him." God is always good. However, His goodness doesn¡¦t always come in the size or shape we ask for or imagine it should come, when we expect it to come, or any number of combinations of this scenario.
The problem is not: is God good? The problem is that we want to set the terms. We want to dictate how, when, where, and by what means He is good. We want to define His goodness according to our standards of right and wrong while looking through a foggy mirror that has created a blurred and distorted reality of God¡XHis plan, provisions, love, etc.
To say, "I don¡¦t know" why this or that tragedy has happened to me or my friends or loved ones is not a cop-out. It is not a clever attempt to dodge facing reality. The reality is that God is in control. The reality is that God has a plan. The reality is that I don¡¦t understand His plan. The reality is that I believe in His plan. The reality is that my faith acknowledges Him therefore my life¡¦s anchor holds! Jesus said, Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. What part of that do we need to hear and heed today?
SOME PRACTICAL THINGS ALREADY KNOWN BUT SERIOUSLY NEGLECTED
Question: How is God good when things are looking so bad?
There is little doubt in anyone¡¦s mind that God is good when He directly (it seems) intervenes in some way to help us physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, etc., etc. In other words, when we get what we pray for; received it in the way we have already figured out that it would happen; and especially if it came at this time, in this particular way. That is clearly the goodness of God. You would have to be brain dead not to see that.
Laying all that aside for now let it simply be said: The fact that you were able to get out of bed this morning proves that God is good. It may not have been so good for your spouse especially if all you have done all day is grumble, gripe, find fault and generally be a pain the neck. God is good. Acknowledge that, stop grousing, start giving goodness.
Furthermore, when you were sick, how many people expressed concern, prayed for you, offered to help in any way? God is good.
When you were without a job what city, county or state agency or church benevolence committee paid some bills, bought some groceries? God is good.
After the loss of a loved one, how many gave a hug, cried with you, offered sympathy, brought groceries to the house, etc.? God is good.
Do you see where I¡¦m going with this? That man, woman, young person, preacher, neighbor, agency that offers you a hand to lift you up is God being good. God uses people to show His goodness.
Here is a fact that may startle you. Did you know that in the entire New Testament only two men are described as being "good." One is unquestionably a Christian. The other was not a Christian as we use the word today. He was, nevertheless, a seeker after the truth and I believe ultimately became a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. The Bible tells of a man named Joseph of Arimathaea who "was a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just" (Lk. 23:50 KJV).
2. In Acts 11:24 we learn of a man named Barnabas of whom it is said, "he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith" (KJV).
When you read the context of these verses you are struck by the fact that both men gave of themselves unselfishly in the service of others. They were God¡¦s goodness walking the streets of their city touching the lives of people wherever they went. They did what they could; to show God was good.
3. In James 3:13 we read, "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom" (KJV). The Living Bible reads: "If you are wise, live a life of steady goodness, so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don¡¦t brag about them, then you will be truly wise!" Good deeds pouring forth from people who live lives of steady goodness is God¡¦s way of being good to us¡Xand we to others!
4. Finally, consider these basic truths that apply to every Christian. (1) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith¡K" (Gal 5:22 KJV). (2) (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) (Eph. 5:9 KJV).
I could go on. I want to remind you, however, that the truly amazing fact is that God shows his goodness through His children¡Xyou and me! Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven" (Mt. 5:16 KJV). The Apostle Paul makes an astounding statement. He says, "¡Kthat God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, ¡K and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, AS THOUGH GOD DID BESEECH YOU BY US(my emphasis)¡Kbe ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:19,20 KJV). God is beseeching through you and me. "As though Christ Himself were here pleading with you, receive the love He offers you" (vs. 20, Living Bible).
On a very practical level for nearly 2,000 years Christians have endeavored to demonstrate God¡¦s goodness in the manner prescribed by Jesus. Christians have demonstrated the love of God by extending a compassionate hand of service to those who are suffering and needy. If people are hungry, Jesus calls us to feed them. If they are sick, we are to visit them (and send them doctors and nurses). If they are homeless, we are to provide shelter (Gary Haugen).
We demonstrate God¡¦s love¡Xgoodness--when we reach out to meet needs. It can be as simple as a visit. It can be as simple as giving a cup of cold water or buying a bag of groceries. There are hundreds of ways we can demonstrate the love¡Xand goodness¡Xof God. When we do, people come to know that God is a good God.
God is good through you.
God is good through me.
I am God¡¦s goodness to others.
You are God¡¦s goodness to others.
God is a good God because he has good people who are full of good works touching hurting lives in little deeds of kindness in an effort to alleviate pain and suffering. We are His hands extended . . .
Songwriter Audrey Meier wrote:
"O to be His hand extended
Reaching out to the oppressed.
Let me touch Him
Let me touch Jesus,
So that other¡¦s may know and be blessed"
Firefighters rushing into the burning WTC in NYC to rescue as many as possible were His hands extended.
Emergency personnel rushing to the same scene were His hands extended.
Ordinary people helping ordinary people in a hundred ordinary ways are His hands extended.
The generous donations of money and blood to the American Red Cross and other agencies are His hands extended.
Prayers for our leaders and for our nation are His hands extended.
Whatever you have done, words of hope, comfort and encouragement you have said are His hands extended.
Good is a good God. Do good for someone. God does.
