A very dear friend of mine lost her 12-year-old son in a fire a few years ago. It was heartwrenching, and we all mourned and grieved with the family.

About three months after her son’s death, we were in Rome, Italy, for a prayer initiative with a group of people. One morning, we circled up in the hotel for a time of worship and intercession together.

My dear friend fell on her face sobbing, “I must know that God is good to go on.” It was a very poignant moment… one I will never forget. Her transparency was so deep and real. Her question was so appropriate. And I agreed in my heart when I heard her sobbing, “Yes, God, show us your goodness.”

Our response was that we all fell on faces as well and cried out to God to know His goodness amidst this heart rending event and amidst our own personal trials and disappointments.

A few years have passed now, and my dear friend glows with the knowledge of God’s goodness in life. Yes, she is still sad at the great loss she has suffered, but above, below, amidst, and at the bottom of that loss is her unshakable knowledge that God remains good. She has come a long way toward healing and acceptance and knows that God works all things out for our best. And she and her husband can give the deepest comfort and compassion now to others who suffer…

Doubting God’s goodness is essentially what keep most people from believing in God and embracing Jesus as Savior and Lord. There are always those questions about personal suffering or war or poverty. The list is long. I can’t answer all the questions–or any of them for that matter–hurled heavenward about “Why didn’t God stop this or that?”

Anyway, the answers are trivial. I think people are honestly not seeking answers so much as to be comforted in their heartache. What matters is that there is a foundation of belief in God’s goodness and love amidst the most horrific events.

God’s Word is repelete with messages and examples of His goodenss. Bottomline, I choose to believe them. And I ask for God to show me His goodness everyday. He does! He reveals his love in many tender, small ways and many large ways.

It is okay to struggle in knowing for sure if God is good or not. He is not threatened by our doubts. But if you struggle too much, you will cut yourself off from the foundations of the supernatural from above that reveals God’s goodness.

It takes a small step of faith… the kind you use to drive over a bridge or use an elevator.

Try asking God for yourself to reveal His goodness to you today. You will be surprised at how He will answer you… if you choose to see and believe He is there loving and desiring to shower you with goodness more than you want it.

I love Corrie ten Boom’s quote after she was forced to live in a concentration camp in Europe for hiding Jews in her home in Holland. “There is no pit so deep that Jesus’ love is still deeper.”

Now that is a woman who found the goodness of God despite the injustices and trials of her life. And she spent the rest of her life declaring to the world that God is good!