To say that God is Good is an understatement. Consider what God did for us, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”(Rom. 5:8 NLT) God’s love looked past our brokenness to bring restoration and healing to our lives through Jesus. Such marvelous grace!
God’s grace knows no bounds, and his healing virtue extends to every aspect of our lives—including inner and physical healing.
Several years ago, Carolyn and I, along with our six-year-old daughter Hannah, traveled to Spokane, WA to visit friends and the re-opened Healing Rooms of twentieth-century healing minister John Lake. We were expectant of God’s healing power for our friend Claire, who was battling encephalitis.
After our arrival, we went out to dinner with Claire and her husband Chris, anticipating our trip to the healing rooms the next day. After dinner, we drove our rental car back to our lodge, and Carolyn was helping Hannah out of the back seat. Hannah was wearing on her finger a plastic ring we bought earlier in the day, when suddenly her ring finger caught Carolyn’s eye, scratching the eye severely. Carolyn’s eye was now in severe pain, red, and swollen!
It was after hours, and we could not reach an eye doctor. We prayed, put gauze over her eye, and made Carolyn as comfortable as possible that night. The next day, we decided to continue our trip to the healing rooms, believing now for Carolyn’s eye to be healed as well as Claire from her condition. If Carolyn didn’t receive a healing, we would see an eye doctor. But, before we left our room, God spoke to Carolyn in prayer, “You will be healed when you leave the healing room’s building today.”
We arrived at the healing rooms, checked in, and spent time with their team praying for Claire and Carolyn. Carolyn noticed a slight improvement, but the swollenness, redness, and pain in her eye persisted.
However, something amazing happened as we left the building onto to the city street—Carolyn’s eye was healed instantly! The pain, irritation, redness, and swelling were totally gone—God healed her eye exactly as he said he would!
God doesn’t always heal in this manner, but for us, it was a remarkable healing and another demonstration of God’s love and goodness. We have learned that God is always good, even when prayers are not answered in the timing or way we expect.
Let’s examine the Goodness of God
In Nahum 1:7, we read, “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” (NKJV)
The revelation that God is good creates a fortress around our minds to ward off negative thinking and accusations of the enemy. The enemy is defeated through the victory of Jesus; however, he uses lies, accusation, and falsehoods to remove us from our steadfast confidence in God’s love, grace, and goodness. Having your mind and heart establish in the truth of God’s love and goodness toward you will empower you to live above the circumstances you don’t understand in life.
The English word good is translated from a Hebrew word towb, which means: “beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, fine, glad, good (-ness), graciously, joyful, kindness”
Consider what Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.” (Eph. 2:20 CEB) Jesus was the perfect manifestation of the Father, Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. Everything that Jesus did demonstrated God’s love, kindness, and goodness toward humanity. Therefore, the Goodness of Godis the cornerstone of our theology.
Whenever Jesus spoke the Word became Spirit—his words are Spirit and Life (see John 6:63). He longs for people to see how wonderful he is!
Know this, God wants to go “past” our best day of prayer. He wants to go beyond what we ask or think (see Eph. 3:20)! We often limit God’s goodness because our understanding of him is wrong.
For example, how can we expect miracle healing if we believe God brought the disease? How can we expect God to transform our lives if we believe God is angry with us?
A core value I and my church believe is that: God is a good Father. We trust Him through all of life’s circumstances because God is good. This gives us faith for the miraculous and hope that the best is yet to come.
The Goodness of the Lord
King David kept his focus on God, not his circumstances, trusting God completely through life’s challenges, knowing that God is good—always.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation. Should I fear anyone? The Lord is a fortress protecting my life. Should I be frightened of anything?” Psalm 27:1-2 CEB
A few verses later, David said, “This one thing I desire and seek after…” (Psalm 27:4 NKJV) David learned that God’s goodness is discovered as he continued to “pursue” him, living out of intimate relationship with God. The same is true for you and me.
David then makes this powerful statement at the end of this Psalm, “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV)
Did you catch that? I would have lost heart, or lost hope and courage to go on, unless I had believed I would see God’s goodness in my life!
It’s important for us not to lose sight of the goodness of the Lord and to realize that because we are united with Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit, we are “living in a good land.” Living with a hope-filled perspective is key to overcoming in life. How do you see your current situation? Do you believe the goodness of the Lord will shine through?
We are God’s ambassadors creating a culture of heaven here on earth. We are dual citizens influencing society and changing the atmosphere of culture. Where we live is being impacted by our walk with God. God’s presence and goodness is working in and through us to help transform our world. We must live from expectancy and “wait” in hope filled faith.
God’s Goodness, Favor, and Blessing are to be Expected
In fact, you have an obligation to be blessed. You owe it to the world to be blessed. From a place of blessing in God’s Kingdom, you can help many. You are an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ to impact our world with his love and grace!
The psalmist writes, “God be merciful to us and bless us, andcause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” (Psalm 67:1-2 NKJV) That your face would shine upon us—in other words, grant favor to us God!
Why? That Your way may be known on earth. The desire of heaven is that this wonderful Jesus could be known throughout the earth. This happens when we are blessed! Bless means to bestow favor and grace upon another. God’s favor and grace upon your life will change you and everyone that you interact with—you are helping them encounter Jesus!
We read later in Psalm 67,
Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.
Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.” (Psalm 67:5-7 NKJV)
Do you notice how the earth brings increase when God’s blessing, his favor and grace, rest upon his people? Further, God’s blessing on his people causes the earth to have a reverential fear of God. Blessing brings influence and empowerment to touch our world! We can’t disciple the nations apart from His hand of grace and blessing upon us. Expect to be blessed in order for you to be a blessing to others!
John writes, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 2 NKJV) God, in His goodness, wants us blessed and prosperous.
The phrase “may prosper” means: to have a prosperous journey, to succeed in business affairs. God wants to go beyond your best day to grant you favor to prosper.
The very “hand of God” resting on us, not money or popularity, but God’s permission to do well and be blessed. Many disrupt their ability to be blessed because they bring God’s “blessing” down to their level of expectation—often bringing God down to their understanding. God’s prosperity is not merely earthly wealth, but the reality of God’s presence and domain upon you and others. He desires that we would prosper in all areas of our lives!
Keep in mind that God blesses the work of your hands, not your idleness! There is blessing that comes with inheritance, as a child of God, but there is blessing received from your hard work and diligence. Don’t judge another person’s blessing, this is a trap of the enemy. You haven’t seen what they have walked through to bring them into that blessing.
Stay humble, stay accountable, and go after God’s Kingdom. We’re accountable for what God has said—and it’s legal to be blessed! We are not responsible for those who have fallen into greed and error because of God’s “blessings.” But we are accountable to our response to God’s word and to our stewardship of what he entrusts to us.
Consider what Jesus said about greed, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” (Luke 12:15 NLT)
How blessed do you have to be for God to let the ends of the earth know? Are you willing to be blessed “in such a way, they would glorify your Father” in heaven?! That’s letting your light shine.
God has called us kings and priests in his Kingdom—that’s positional. However, we truly become a king when we realize we have an obligation to bring breakthrough for others. God’s kind of royalty is that kings rule with a heart of a servant to help lift others up to fulfill their destinies.
Like good fathers, real kings will serve and empower others to fulfill their destinies.
We should serve like kings knowing we have unlimited access to heaven’s resources, wisdom, and revelation. Keep in mind that God desires to give you what you need to accomplish your assignment and destiny.
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”(Luke 12:32 NKJV) God’s favor and grace given to his own to transform the world around us!
Favor and Blessings Impacting the World
Consider these promises to Israel:
“They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3:5 NKJV
“Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.” Jeremiah 33:9 NKJV
God promised that the world would fear and tremble because of his goodness in Israel. The world has yet to really tremble at God’s goodness, but the Church has an opportunity to reveal God’s goodness and hope in this hour!
Could it be that now is the time to be prospered so your city, region and the world would know of God’s goodness? You see, blessed people by default are a blessing! Freely you have received, freely give! Be real enough with people that they know the “blessings” are from God, by his hand and grace, not of your own special merit.
Our vision needs to be beyond our reach. He wants to do exceedingly abundantly beyond! Set your standard beyond what you can attain in the natural, then go for it!
The psalmist declares, “Deal bountifully with your servant that I may live and keep your Word.” (Psalm 119:17 NKJV) Make my life extreme, that I can glorify Your name! It’s legal to pray audacious prayers when your motive is to see other’s reach with God’s love and goodness!
God grants favor and grace to those whom He can entrust with His purposes! Faithful in little, faithful in much. Your assignment has purpose, God’s anointing and gifts are unto a purpose—that others would be blessed.
Proverbs states, says “A good man obtains favor from the Lord …” (Prov. 12:2 NKJV) “Obtains” also means to “draw out”. Favor is also used as grace in the OT. We could say then that “A good man draws out grace from the Lord …” We draw out His grace when our ways please Him.
The favor that comes from God reflects His nature and character and has purpose associated with it. Purpose will lead you into your destiny.
God is a good Father. We trust Him through all of life’s circumstances because God is good. This gives us faith for the miraculous and hope that the best is yet to come.
Know that you are loved by God, then receive His love, love yourself (free of shame, condemnation), and now love and bless others. God wants to release His goodness and favor upon your life—expect it—then be a blessing to others!
For a more in-depth look at the Goodness of God, watch the Passion Church message: “The Goodness of God”
