I had been battling debilitating headaches for months. I went through testing and tried medication. When relief and answers didn’t come, I was scheduled for an MRI. Those results did not come back with good news. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January 2000 and scheduled to see a neurologist immediately. When this situation came into my life, I was a brand-new believer. I had not yet experienced the goodness of God in a way that allowed me to trust Him fully. I didn’t know for sure that He would walk through whatever was to come in the days and weeks ahead. I was fortunate to have people in my life who pointed me to God during this season. I was surrounded by encouragement, support, and love. While I couldn’t understand why I was walking through this diagnosis, I fully experienced His presence and peace.

 God’s Goodness in the Epistles

Paul wrote his letters to the early churches in the Bible for various reasons. These are filled with encouragement, instruction, and clarity. He prayed for and gave thanks to the churches regularly. Paul knew these new believers needed his wisdom, which came directly from God. The people didn’t have enough experience to discern God’s goodness in everything they faced. (They experienced false teachings, falling back into their old ways, etc.) Thankfully, we now have his letters to learn from and reflect upon. When we’re walking through difficult times, one of the best things we can do to see the goodness of God is to dig into His Word. The Epistles are a great place to find reminders of God’s character. Not only are these letters filled with instruction for us (which is a clear sign of His love and goodness), but they are constant reminders of Who God is:

●    Romans 8:37-39 ESV

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

●    1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

●    Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

●    Philippians 4:19 ESV

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

●    2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

●    Romans 5:8 NIV

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

●    And so many more!

 Seeing God’s Goodness in My Own Life

I was “one of the lucky ones.” My diagnosis was a benign brain tumor, which only required surgery. I was able to recover somewhat quickly in light of the experience. Though I have some long-term side effects, that time in my life is mostly just a bad memory. Nearly 25 years later, I can confidently say God is truly good. I can declare that because I have experienced His goodness and faithfulness. He is good when life is going smoothly and when it feels like the wind has been knocked out of me. The truth is God’s goodness doesn’t change with the seasons. He’s the same God when I feel like I can do all the things right (which is rare!) and when I’m at my absolute worst and want to scream.

Choose to Find God’s Goodness Today

The ones Paul wrote to did their best to learn what it meant to follow after Jesus. They were just babies in their faith and needed to understand God’s character, not to mention Christ’s sacrifice. We can begin to do that when we seek Him diligently. (Jeremiah 29:13) We can look to His Word, pray, reflect, and learn from other believers. When we grow our faith and learn to trust in His goodness in all circumstances, we can apply a few different spiritual practices.

• Don’t let the enemy’s lies blind you to what is true. Stay connected to the Word. Memorize it and hide it in your heart for when you need it. (Deuteronomy 11:18)

• Place your Ebenezer (Rock of Salvation or Hope) where you can see them, and remember His faithfulness in the past. These are physical reminders (sometimes literal stone memorials) in remembrance of what God has already done for you. (1 Samuel 7:12)

• Build a community of believers around you. Allow others to come into the faith-testing circumstances with you and hold you up. (Acts 2:42-47)

At some point in our lives, we will all face circumstances that we don’t understand and did not ask for. Most likely, you have already experienced something that has tested God’s goodness in your life. I hope you will look for Him no matter how difficult it was (or is). When facing uncertainties in life, we can be confident of God’s goodness. He’s done it before, and He will do it again!

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [Ephesians 3:14-19]