While all these things are true, it is not enough to simply say God is good without a clear understanding of what that truly means. We often apply the adjective "good" to things we like. We like pizza, for example, and so pizza is "good". We apply that word to people when they do things that are right or that please us. We tell our children to "be good in school today!"
All of these things portray to us what good means, but these are not adequate enough to express the goodness of God towards us. None of these expressions can truly encompass what God's goodness is.
First, unlike all the previous examples, God is not "good" because He does good things, or because He is good to us, or for us. God is good because it is His character and nature. The chorus of the song simply says, "Your a good good Father-its who you are." This is simple and yet profound at the same time. He is good because it is who He is. It is His character. Unlike a human who may do good one minute, and bad another, God is good because His character never changes. Gen 1:3 says: "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." We read in Ps. 33:5: "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD." And in Ps. 34:8: "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." God reveals His character and nature to us in these verses in this way, He does good for that which is good. That means that it may not always be what we want/like, not always pleasant at the time, but it is all ultimately good. That's a hard and scary thought to have. But we are given this word in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
We are not told that all will be good according to our standard of good, but His. We are to praise Him still for His goodness: Eph. 5:20: "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
We praise Him because He is good, and knows how to give good things to His children. (Matthew 7:11)
The book of Romans gives a little more insight to another aspect of God's goodness. In Romans 2:4, Paul writes, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing the the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"
In this verse God's goodness is specifically attached to His long-suffering and forbearance. God is revealed as being good in that He is patiently holding back His wrath from a sinful world and from sinful man so that His gospel may go out into the world that mankind may have opportunity to be saved and reconciled to God.
God's goodness is what allows the world an opportunity to accept the free pardon of sin found only in Jesus Christ. God waited 120 years for Noah to build the ark and continue to preach to the people so that His goodness and long-suffering could be demonstrated. We often are critical and think to ourselves that with all the bad going on why doesn't God do something about it? Many skeptics say that the seeming lack of action from God is proof that He does not exist, and yet the Bible says that it is His goodness which keeps Him from bringing His judgment in righteousness. Man is doing the very same thing today that they did in the time of Noah and Paul-despising the riches of His goodness. He is patiently waiting for all to enter in, but there will be a day when His long-suffering ends. I pray that you will find the goodness of God before that day and that you accept Him as your Good, good Father before it is too late.
Here is a link to the song, Good Good Father so you can listen to it.
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