“Where is God in all of this? If there’s really a God out there, what’s with all this suffering…haven’t we had enough?” I’ve heard variations of these words echoed countless times, and if I’m being honest, I’ve thought them myself now and then. (If you’re being honest, I bet you have, too.)

God’s Word tells us countless times that His nature is good. But sometimes, our sinful posture and the fragmented state of the world around us lead us to conclude that He is not. When God seems alien in the trials of life, we can trust that He will always reveal Himself — His true nature — in Scripture. 

Consider the words of Psalm 100: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm‬ ‭100‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

The most encouraging part of Psalm 100 for me is not the rallying call to bring praises to the Lord for His goodness. (In some seasons, that’s just impossible to live out, isn’t it?) It’s the gospel-filled words of v. 3 that bring me the most hope: “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his…” Or, perhaps more literally, “It is HE who made us, and not we ourselves”. In other words, we belong to the Lord in body, mind, heart and soul. We are not our own!

This truth is profoundly evidenced in the very nature of our humanity. We need food, water, sustenance — The Lord says “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭50‬:‭12‬) Our bodies require a certain amount of routine sleep in order to physically function — “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” (Psalm‬ ‭121‬:‭4‬) These simple facts of our human experience support what the truth of God’s Word consistently reveals to us: We are finite creatures of the Creator, fully dependent upon Him for our very lives. 

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭18‬) 

Jesus, the very image of God, who knit us together before we ever drew a breath of air, is holding all things together — DNA, planets, time, space, galaxies. Christ our champion goes before us, from womb to tomb and right back out, from death and into life. He paves each step of the way through this messy human experience and into the eternal paradise of His presence. 

Yes, when we seek this Living God in Scripture, we find that He is good. Only, always, forever good. So, don’t be afraid to close the curtains on the broken world for a moment today. Look for the Lord where He can always be found. In spite of the very real pain and brokenness that our eyes may see in this moment, the Lord IS good, and He is not passive. We can rest in the truth of His promises. His loving faithfulness endures forever!