God is so good. God is so good. God is so good. He’s so good to me.

Does that chorus ring a bell? Sung as a child with few life experiences, the weight of the statements are not as profound as we can know them to be.

There is so much depth to God’s goodness. God is both good and good to us. Our sense of goodness is pale in comparison and is shaded by our selfishness. With our limited senses, it can be easier to notice the tangible ways he is good to us.

The goodness of the Lord is perfect, loving, and just… and it can sometimes awaken our soul to how we have grieved his Holy Spirit. Paul’s warning to not quench the Spirit is eye-opening and soul-stirring (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

For example, the Holy Spirit has revealed a few things to me about my struggle with thinking I know people’s motives: it negatively affects my thoughts and it is an assault against God’s character . When I think I know someone’s thoughts or motives, I am thinking that I am all-knowing. It saddens me that I have been defiant against God’s unique omniscience.

When I live the truth that God is omniscient, I can trust his plan in circumstances. Aware that he is at work in myself and others, I am free to accept what happens, rather than insubordinately complain about a situation or put myself wrongly at the center. That realization put a whole new perspective on my sin. It took, unfortunately, a long while to get to here.

We can be confident that God will continue his good work in each of us (Philippians 1:6). As the potter, he molds us in alignment with his character, and he gives us reasons to trust that his ways are right. His love draws us to himself. He does not always reveal his plans and purposes, but we can rest in assurance of who he is.

God’s kindness leads us to repentance. It brings us into submission to Jesus because of his sacrifice on the cross and into daily submission of our will to Jesus’ will.

God is so good. He’s so good to us!