God is Good (Even When Life Is Not)

Is God still good…

When you keep on knocking but the doors never open?

When prayers seem unanswered?

When darkness is all you see?

When life leaves you with never-ending disappointments?

When you get out of one valley to find yourself in another one?

When nights are met with fresh new tears and days are met with un-conquered fears?

When the road keeps going and you have no clue where to turn next?

When you find yourself at your end?

Is God still good when life is not?

Often times when preachers come up to speak they have the congregation repeat the same phrase after them. “God is good, all the time” and “All the time, God is good”.’

And when life is good I have no problem saying “God is good!”

I have no problem believing He has great plans for my life.

I have no problem smiling and staying positive.

But when life isn’t so good it’s not as easy to say “God is good.”

It’s not so easy to stand on His promises for my life.

It’s not so easy to keep smiling and count the blessings in my life.

But I have come to a realization recently that’s been helping me get through those hard times.

Something I repeat whenever I find myself in that place I never intended to be.

“God is good, even when life is not”.

God is good even when life makes no sense.

God is good even when I find myself stranded in a desert with no way out.

God is good even when I feel like the world is on my shoulders.

God is good even when there is only darkness all around me.

God is good even when I feel alone, unwanted, or betrayed.

God is good even when all I see is suffering and pain.

How do I know?

It’s quite simple. He was good to Jesus even when Jesus’ life wasn’t so good.

Jesus’ life began in a tiny little barn with animals all around Hi and a king who sought to kill him.

{Matthew 2:16}

His ministry began with being in a desert for 40 days and being tempted and tried by Satan himself when He finally came out.

{Matthew 4:1-11}

He constantly had Pharisees following Him around, trying to catch Him saying something wrong, seeking to bring Him down and kill him in any way they could.

{Mark 3:6}

He was not accepted in the very town He grew up in because of lack of belief in who He was.

{Matthew 13:57}

He was praised and exalted one day by the same people that yelled “crucify him” in the following days.

{John 12:13, John 19:15}

He was betrayed by one of the friends that was in His close knit circle for three years.

{Luke 22:48}

He was left by His own friends on the very night that He needed them by His side the most.

{Matthew 26:31}

He was denied by one of his very own best friends.

{John 18:15-27}

He was crucified for crime He never committed.

{John 19}

He died a death He didn’t deserve for people who didn’t even love Him.

Just reading this list alone is enough to help me see that Jesus’ life was like all of ours.

He had a few pretty bad days.

He had friends who left Him and betrayed Him.

He had temptations to face.

He had people who constantly spoke against Him.

He had a future waiting for Him… that wasn’t really all that great.

It led Him to a cross where His blood would be shed.

And yet in it all… and through it all… God was good.

The Almighty God, His heavenly father, that was watching from above.

That One that was with Him every step of the way.

The one that allowed Him to go through everything He went through

The pain, the rejection, the abandonment, the temptations…

You would think God would “bless” His One and Only Son with the easiest and most enjoyable life.

But He did the exact opposite.

Why? Because He wanted Jesus to experience life as a real human being.

And since Jesus was fully God and fully human {Philippians 2:5-8} that meant He had to live a life most people do.

He had to endure hardships.

Withstand temptations.

Feel the pain of betrayal.

Suffer at the expense of others.

Because only by doing so could He ultimately fulfill the calling placed upon His life: being our pure, holy, living sacrifice on a cross.

And as His followers our life reflects His because our Heavenly Father and our purpose on earth is the same as His.

We walk in the footsteps of our savior… and those feet led Him on a few hard roads.

And so will ours if we choose to follow His lead.

It will lead us through pain, emptiness, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, betrayal… and ultimately: the cross.

I know… this is not the encouraging thing you want to hear right now.

But it all has a purpose. A point. An eternal significance.

Do you know why?

Because the betrayal that left Him disheartened is what helped Him accept all sinners as His own.

Because the suffering that left Him broken is what gave Him the power to be the Healer and Comforter for all those who suffer.

Because the ridicule that He faced is what gives Him the power to helps us face the same ridicule today.

Because the cross that He carried is what helped Him redeem the sinful world.

And ultimately… because the tomb He was laid in… was empty on Easter morning.

In the end…. It all worked out for the good. But to get there, Jesus had to go through some not so good stuff.

And I believe it’s the same for us.

We will have bad days. We will have pain. We will have hardships. We will have rain.

But in the end… if we walk the road of life with Jesus we will have victory, just like He did.

We will see that everything we went through was for our best… even when it didn’t seem like it at the moment.

We’ll see that our pain and our troubles had a purpose.

And that it is all worth it at the end…

Today if you are facing hardships… know this: Jesus has been there and He understand. 100%.

There is a good reason for whatever you are going through.

There is a greater purpose for it, even if you don’t understand.

And in the end… there will be triumph, there will be praise, there will be victory!

So if life isn’t just a breeze at this moment.

If the sun isn’t shining on your face…

Walk in peace knowing that this is not the end.

That God is walking with you and that He’s making it all work out for the best.

That He is always good… even when life is not.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his.” – Romans 8:28

Be blessed –Anna… ♥