Without a doubt, God is good. Now, I know that not everyone recognizes His goodness. When bad things happen to us, we want to blame someone, and if it’s not obvious that another person caused our misfortune – say, a tornado hit our house – then we automatically blame God. We know that God is omnipotent. That means that He has the power to prevent such a tragedy, and He didn’t. So it’s obviously His fault. At least, that’s how we see it. But suppose another person is at fault. (A drunk driver killed someone you love.) We still blame God and for the same reason. He didn’t prevent it. So when bad things happen, how can we acknowledge that God is good?
First, we must recognize that bad things don’t come from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” So all good things that come our way come from God; not the bad.
Second, we live in a sinful world, and people often abuse others by their selfish actions. God allows it due to the freewill He’s bestowed on all mankind, but He doesn’t condone it, and one day, these people will face Him in judgment for their actions. As a result, He won’t let anyone get away with sin.
Third, we not only live in a sinful world, but we live in a fallen world. God created everything in perfection. But when mankind fell due to sin, nature also fell. And that wasn’t God’s fault. Hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, thunder storms, blizzards,, tidal waves, droughts, dust storms, floods, weeds, etc. all came as a result of sin, so when someone is killed as a result of nature raging out of control, we blame God by calling it “an act of God.” When in reality, God had nothing to do with it because He made everything perfect.
So if we keep in mind that only the good comes from God, and not the bad, then we will begin to recognize His goodness in all things, because when we see good things, we’ll know Who sent them.