The legal name on my birth certificate reads “Charles,” but it isn’t a name ever used by anyone who knows me. Phone solicitors and strangers call me “Charles.” To my friends and family, I’m “Chuck.” Had you walked alongside me in my years growing up, you would have watched me walk into hundreds of classrooms, doctor’s offices, and social clubs who read the name “Charles” on a roster, only to hear me respond, “Please, call me, ‘Chuck.’ ” It isn’t Charlie or Chip. I will not respond to Chaz or any other variation, as none of these look like me. My personality, heart, sense of humor, and a million other factors that make me “me” come to light when you call me by my name.
Long ago, Moses fell on his face in a burning desire to really know God, pleading, “Please show me your glory!” Do you remember God’s response?
“And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.’ ” Exodus 33:19
To experience God’s goodness is to know him by his name. That’s because “goodness” is the very substance of who he is. There is a popular call and response in Christian circles that I’ve heard many times through the years:
“God is Good, all the time.
And all the time, God is Good.”
This is awesome, but what if I told you the truth is WAY better? It isn’t simply that “God is good” or that what God does is good. Actually, God is Goodness itself. Here’s why this matters.
We have this subtle habit as humans of seeking God so that he will ultimately give us some other good thing. We follow him in hopes of good health, a good job, a good reputation, and a good life. But when these “good” things delay in appearing or seem to falter, somewhere we start to wrestle and wonder if God is good to us at all.
But God isn’t merely “good.” He is “Goodness,” meaning that he cannot be or do anything other than what is good. He cannot leave you. He will not forsake you. There is no moment that he relents from lavishing his never-ending, always-pursuing grace over you. Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will ever be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, because Goodness is his name!
It isn’t merely that he gives us good gifts (and praise God, he does); it’s that God has chosen to give us Himself, without reservation or hesitation. He is the treasure hidden in a field that we sell everything to acquire. He is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever. No take backs.
Back to Moses. God promised to reveal his goodness and speak his name. And he did precisely that.
“The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” Exodus 34:5-6
The list of these five aspects of God’s goodness act as a sort of “calling card” in the Old Testament, showing up some one-hundred and eighty-five times! Let that sink in. It’s as if God walked into the room nearly 200 times announcing, “Please, call me this.”
God being good doesn’t mean that life will always feel good or that we’ll always be able to perceive the myriad ways he is at work behind the scenes for our good. Our feelings are fickle and our fallen vantage point is severely short-sighted. But on the days we struggle to see, he gives five anchors for our soul of what his “Goodness” really means.
1. God is full of mercy for you.
Merciful: “To have compassion and act in the tenderest affection.”
Remember, these aren’t just what God does, but are who God is. Right now, whether you feel it or not, God is spilling over in compassion for you. If you could see through the eyes of your spirit, you would rest in the warm affection and approving smile of your Father over you.
2. God is gracious toward you.
Gracious: “Gentle, kind, and benevolent.”
Somebody needs to hear this: God isn’t disappointed in you. He also isn’t the source of the harsh criticisms that echo in your silent thoughts. He is gentle with your heart and kind to your soul.
3. God is not mad at you, but madly in love with you.
Slow to Anger: “To wait, delay, defer, and stretch out over a long road of patience.”
Think about the most patient person you know; the one you go to with your unfiltered thoughts and messiest emotions; the person you can just be yourself with, because you know they will be a safe space for your imperfect heart. This is precisely what the Goodness of God is like.
4. God is overflowing in pursuing passion for you.
Abounding in Steadfast Love: “A deep passion and burning desire to express goodness, kindness, mercy, beauty, favor, gentleness and love to the object of one’s affection, coupled with sorrow and compassion for their misfortune.”
Do you ever feel invisible? Misunderstood? Alone? Beloved one, your Father sees you, and has been in constant pursuit of your heart, inviting you to drop your guard a little more as you learn to surrender to the security of his wraparound embrace.
5. God is exploding in faithfulness to you.
Abounding in Faithfulness: “Reliable and able to be counted on to nourish, support, and uphold you.”
God is not like a man that he would lie or a mortal that he would change his mind. He is not a shifting shadow who morphs based on proximity or our ability to see him clearly. He is faithful and you can count on him to nourish, support, and uphold you.
When Moses got one glimpse of the God of Goodness, the Bible says that he became like a human Lite-Brite, radiating with so much glory, he actually had to place a veil over his face until the light faded so that he wouldn’t freak the Israelites out. Crazy, right?
But did you know God says that we carry something better than what Moses saw? The glory we carry isn’t growing dimmer, but transforms us into ever increasing glory every time we simply behold God as he truly is (see 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
And we don’t hide the radiance on our faces from the world, but let it shine, that all may step out of darkness and into the light. If you are willing to receive it, God is ready to make his goodness pass by you all over again. What could happen today if we’d call him by his name?
Reflection Questions:
1. Be honest. What places in your life do you struggle or doubt that God is truly being good to you?
2. Look at the 5 aspects of God’s goodness listed above. Which one do you need to stand on today?
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