Jason Berggren Good, God, & Evil

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This is a week that many people are wondering: Is God good? It’s natural when there is death and tragedy. It makes us ask:

If there is a God, and He is good, then what about all this evil in the world?

Makes sense. And besides the disappointment and pains of life, I don’t have everything I want. I’m not living in my dream house. I’m not as smart as I want to be. There’s so much, and so many ways, to wonder if God is good.

So how can we be convinced that God is good in the midst of our personal misery or frustrated desires?

We probably can’t.

>Actually, my purpose in raising this objection is not to convince the unsure to be certain that God is good.

Although I would love nothing more than to always be fully convinced of this, and to fully persuade others, I also recognize that my confidence will likely change with the next pain. I’m not trying to convince.

What’s possible is to learn to accept the premise even though we might question it, find it hard to believe, or aren’t fully convinced in the moment. This comes down to navigating the dangerous waters of emotions we go through in that gap—the Happiness Trap, depression, anger guilt, fear, etc. We can’t pretend they’re not there. We can’t ignore them. We must watch for warnings, mark the course, and weather through them. Only this way will they not consume us.

Thousands of years ago, the prophet Jeremiah warned his fellow Hebrews:

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9 tniv)

He knew that so much of where we end up in life hinges on how we process those risky emotions. After thousands of years, it’s still true. They can trick you into buying stock on a tip that’s obviously too-good-to-be-true. They can get you believing you don’t love someone anymore (since love is, of course, a choice).

>Even worse, feelings can even get us wondering if God is good.

In Gethsemane, Jesus’ flesh was weak. Part of him didn’t want to let him believe that God was still good. But his spirit knew it to be true, accepted it, and moved forward.

Can we do that? We have to learn to or our faith will not endure.

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Read all these related posts in order here:

God Isn’t Good.

God Still Isn’t Good.

If God Is Good, Then He Will…

Let’s Make A Deal, God.

Reconciling God & Why Bad Stuff Happens.