How do I know that God is good?

Do you ever wonder if God is good? Does he have your best interests in mind? Does he just want to make you do unpleasant things? Is he distant because he doesn't really care?

I'm not a philosopher or a theologian. I've been a Christian for 42 years; most of those years I have read Scripture every day. Every day a battle goes on of who will rule my mind. It's either me, the world or God. Sad to say, God lost out many times as I didn't put into practice what I read.

As I thought this week about how do I know that God is good, I had to go back to the foundation of Scripture. It says God is good. But that doesn't mean his followers had it easy. They had plenty of trouble and heartache. 

Then I thought about my life. Because of what I read in Scripture, I have chosen to believe that God is good. But that is not based on what has happened. There has been plenty of tragedy and trouble. Some people know that I have eight children. Most don't know that four other children died before they were born. Our son Nathaniel died weeks before he was to be born. In that horrible time, I experienced the goodness of God. 

It's somewhat a mystery. It would be hard for me to try to prove to you that God is good. But here is what I do know. Because I have a foundation built on God's word and I renew that daily, I have a pair of glasses that enable me to see God's goodness and his care for me. 

If you are having trouble believing that God is good, examine the things that are shaping your mind. If you don't have a daily renewing from Scripture then maybe the goodness is there but you just can't see it.