Seeking God’s Goodness in a Fallen World

Contributing Writer
Seeking God’s Goodness in a Fallen World

At the end of his handiwork, when dreaming up the creation that is our reality, God declared it very good (Genesis 1:31). Humanity was his crowning creation. He gave part of himself to us, his beloved image bearers.

Yet, there are so many times that the world we know and live in today doesn’t feel good. God saying this place is good can sometimes feel like a bold statement. How do we reconcile his words with the chaos we see ensuing day after day on this planet?

There is no denying that our world is chaotic. It’s complicated. We see evil at work more often than anyone feels comfortable with. As humans, we suffer. Worry comes easily. Our bodies break. Friendships and relationships crumble under the weight of life’s demands. We see divisive lines being drawn in our culture. Trauma steals our physical and emotional wellbeing. Wars break out. And the list goes on…

A faith tradition that ignored this reality would be wishful thinking that, ultimately, becomes useless to us. A loving God must offer us a way to handle the fallenness that touches us all over the course of our lives.

So, what does our God have to say to us about these pressing matters? His Word persists in declaring his goodness! He tells us his goodness and mercy follows us for all of our days, (Psalm 23:6). God promises to be working our specific circumstances out for our good (Romans 8:28). We read that God is good (Psalm 119:68). And over and over we are called to do good as a part of following God’s way (Matthew 5:15-16, 2 Corinthians 9:8).

Let’s explore how we can begin to understand how God is good even in a world that groans under the weight of sin.

We Always Have Access to the Presence of a Good God

It seems God has promised us goodness and calls us to do good things for his glory even in a world that struggles under the weight of our sin and the power of death. If we are honest, even as Christ followers there are some days where finding God’s goodness feels like a treasure hunt. We really have to stretch our hearts and minds to find it. Those are the days when we realize that what our soul needs more than God’s good gifts is the presence of our good God.

Suffering is an invitation to redefine the so-called “good” we are seeking. The moments when all is not well in our world are chances to align our hearts fully with our Creator over what his creation can offer us. He is a God after our hearts, and each challenge is a chance to seek him first while here in the land of the living.

As flesh bound people, seizing hold of God’s hand when we feel our world crashing down around us does not come easily. We not only want to believe he is good, we want to benefit from that promised goodness in a way that keeps us comfortable. When comfort leaves, as it does for every human at some point or another, so begins the true testing of our hearts.

The question we must contend with as we define what goodness looks like is: Are we seeking after a God who loves us, or are we just in it for what we think he will give us?

God Loves Giving Good Gifts to His Children, but His Gifts May Not Be What We Expected

God does love giving his children good gifts (James 1:17). But as we read Scripture, we learn that his definition of a good life often stands in stark contrast with what that world tells us we should be pursuing.

He desires for us that we live with total generosity (Luke 6:38). Generosity almost always requires a level of discomfort. Maybe that’s financial discomfort to give faithfully to your church and community when needs arise. It could be physical discomfort as you give of your time or effort to love others who are in need.

God calls us away from fear (Isaiah 41:1). That means our life choices are not based on all the scary “what-if scenarios” we can come up with. We live by faith, obedient to the calling God has placed on our lives.

He leads us towards spiritual maturity, allowing life and its many unknowns to serve as chances to learn and grow (2 Peter 3:18). He never wastes our pain, but allows it to show us his truth in new ways.

He offers us the fruit of the spirit so we can live a holy life. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control serve as a strong foundation for our lives, but to live out these virtues we very often have to repent, deny ourselves, and turn the other cheek (Galatians 5:22-23).

His best gift is salvation, which means that our promised moment of complete renewal is in the life to come (John 3:16). We are invited to take the long view past our short lives, which can give us hope in some of the most impossible circumstances. Sometimes the best comfort we have is the knowledge that, with Christ, the best is yet to come.

We Are Invited to Bring Heaven Down as Part of God’s Good Plan

There is a light that came into this world that is greater than the darkness. In him was the light that was the light of all mankind (John 1). With the coming of Jesus, we have been given an opportunity to join ourselves with his light and push back the darkness that is eating away at God’s good creation.

We are a part of God’s plan to redeem this world. With the entrance of sin came the birth of pain, and chaos has made this reality a conflicted one. But God did not leave us without hope! He humbled himself to death on the cross so we might become his children. As such we have the chance to bring a little bit of Heaven into this world every day.

So remember, don’t just curse the darkness, be agents of the light. You as his child are his goodness incarnate. What a special calling that is. As you see the world suffer, remember you are empowered to usher his love into this world in a real way.  

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/francescoch


Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.