At some point in our life, we will all have to grapple with how we will respond when the goodness of God is hard to see and to understand.

When life is going smoothly and as expected, it is easy to rejoice in the goodness of God. There are times though that God’s goodness seems to be hidden and we experience deep hurt and loss.

It is often in the times of hurt that we discover if we have based our belief in God’s goodness on our current circumstances or on the unchanging nature of our Savior. It is a piercing question that can weigh heavily on our heart.

I recently received news that a good friend from my college days passed away very suddenly. It has been heartbreaking. As I’ve started to process this, there is much I don’t understand and my mind has been filled with many thoughts.

There is a difference between asking God questions and questioning who God is. I don’t understand why God took my friend so suddenly. I wonder why this happened to a loving mom of young children. Why do some families go through so much suffering?  Why didn’t I do a better job with keeping in contact with a friend I loved?

I don’t have any answers to these questions. There are things we will never understand this side of eternity.

Yet even though my heart is hurting, I don’t want to question God in anger. The only thing I know to do is to hang onto the unchanging truths and promises of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit promises to help us in our weakness and He intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray for. The remembrance of God’s past goodness helps us to continue on in times of confusion.

It is because of the goodness of God, we can grieve with hope in these times. My friend was a Christian and she is now in the presence of God experiencing the wonders of heaven. 

While we are on this earth, it is right to grieve our losses and to weep with those who weep. Yet our mourning should be distinct from those who don’t have the hope of Jesus in their heart. I love how Psalm 27:13 explains it, “ I would have lost hope, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

In the storms of life, it is hard to see the goodness of God. In the fog of pain and suffering, it isn’t always clear how all things will work out for good for those who love Jesus.

Yet we can hold onto this hope as believers; one day Jesus will come back to this earth and He will make an end to all suffering. All tears will be wiped away and all things will be made perfectly new.

“For I know that my Redeemer lives and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”  -Job 19:25