I say, “God is good!” You say, “All the time.” I would be willing to bet that most of us had this drilled into our heads growing up. But, what does it mean that God is good? How can we focus on God’s goodness? How can we live like we believe that God is good? Let’s answer these questions by looking at Bible verses that focus on our Good God.

How do we know “God is good”?

In Psalm 34:8 NIV, we are invited to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” When we “taste” something for the first time, we are trying it out to see how well we might like it. In the same way, the Psalmist is so sure that we will find God’s goodness to our liking and not lacking, that he goes on to say in the second part of the verse, “blessed are those who take refuge in Him.”

With this thought in mind, we see, God’s goodness is not just in His nature but it is also expressed in His actions and to His people. So, the short answer to our question, “How do we know God is good?”, is this: The Bible tells me so. We are going to dive into that topic next.

How can we focus on God’s goodness?

We can focus on God’s goodness by focusing on His word. His word tells us He is good. It also recounts His good deeds toward His people. God’s goodness is also seen in His other attributes, love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and His compassion.

There are also so many amazing worship songs that focus on the goodness of God. I have listed a few below with their YouTube link. And, finally, we can keep record of God’s goodness to us in a prayer or gratitude journal. I have put a few ideas below.

Bible Verses that Focus on God’s Goodness

• Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 NIV

• The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6 NIV

• Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21:45 NIV

• Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV

• Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. Psalm 25:8 NIV

• For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5 NIV

• The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:9 NIV

• I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. Isaiah 63:7 NIV

• The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV

• You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:36 NIV

• Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV

Worship Songs with Focus on God’s Goodness

• Goodness of God by Cee Cee Winans

• Good, Good Father by Chris Tomlin

• God is So Good by Pat Barrett

• God is Good All the Time by Dan Moen

Keeping Record of God’s Goodness

One of the ways that I keep focus on God’s goodness is to remind myself of how faithful He has been to me in the past. I have a prayer journal and I like to write how God answers prayers to me and others. Similarly, my daughter keeps a gratitude journal where she records each day a few things that she is thankful that God has given to her or done for her. We simply went to the store and picked out some cute notebooks but these days, there are so many resources our there to guide you. I have a listed a few below.

FREE Gratitude Journal from Raise Your Sword

Gratitude ABC List for Kids and Families

FREE Prayer Journal and Calendar from Leap of Faith Crafting

Prayer Journal Ideas: Prayer Journal Printables for your War Room Binder by Undoubted Grace

How can we can live like God is good?

It is one thing for us to say God is good and read scriptures about God’s goodness but if we truly believe it, then we have to put some focus into living like. God is good. Practically, this looks like us obeying His commands and sharing His goodness with others.

Obeying His Goodness

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15 NIV) So, here’s the thing, we know our God is good which means His law is good. So, we live like we believe God is good when we are willing to go His way and walk in His truth.

Psalm 119 is a beautiful tribute to God’s commands. The longest chapter in the entire Bible; it is written as an acrostic poem. The Psalmist exclaims: “Your are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.” (Psalm 119:68 NIV) He knows that only God is good and he is humble to admit that He needs God to teach Him. Similarly, we need God to instruct us on His word so that we can live like He is good and show His goodness to others.

Telling Others that God is Good

In the New Testament, God’s goodness is spread to others through the gospel, or the good news of Jesus Christ. We have a responsibility as God’s people to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15 NIV)

Romans 10:13-14 says, “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Some one has to tell the lost of the hope of Jesus. And, God has chose us as His witnesses.

Challenge yourself to tell some one today about God’s goodness. It may be as simple as saying, “Can I tell you something good?” With so much bad in the world, no one will turn down a good story. Tell them how Jesus saved you, a time when He helped you, or what good God is currently working in your life.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

Psalm 96:3 NIV

What if we feel like God is NOT good?

Sometimes, when we are suffering, when our child is hurting, or we are just in the middle of a bad day, it can feel like God is not being good to us. We should be reminded however, that we are promised that this world is full of trouble. On the other hand, through these trials, we can depend on our good God to strengthen us, teach us, grow our faith, and bring us through with a new testimony of His goodness.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Human understanding is so limited and when we let our own feelings dictate our thinking and actions; we go down a dangerous path of believing lies and mistrusting the Lord. This is why we have to mediate on the promises found in God’s word. We can rely on the truth of His word to keep our mind straight and looking forward to His goodness being revealed in His time.

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

Romans 8:28 NIV