The Goodness of God in an Unpredictable World

Key Scripture Passages: Psalm 34:4–10 · Genesis 50:15–21 · Psalm 73:23–28 (NIV)

Some of life's happiest surprises are things we never planned or imagined. Other times, circumstances take a turn we never wanted, and we struggle to understand what God might be doing. We can recognize His goodness when things turn out well, but what happens to our confidence in Him when they don't?

We often measure goodness by what we experience. An unexpected blessing strengthens our gratitude. An unanswered prayer may leave us wondering. But is our confidence in God's goodness necessarily tied to what happens next? And as we grow to know Him better, might our relationship with Him become something more than waiting to see what He will do?

Three passages invite us to explore these questions together. 1. In Psalm 34, David looks back on a time of trouble and invites others to discover God's goodness for themselves. 2. In Genesis 50, Joseph speaks to the brothers who had deliberately harmed him, revealing a surprising perspective on their evil intentions. 3. In Psalm 73, a man troubled by what he sees around him arrives at a remarkable realization about his relationship with God.

Together, these passages open a conversation about the goodness we recognize, the purposes we cannot always see, and the growing confidence that comes from knowing God. There may be more to discover in His goodness than the things we hope He will do for us.

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your goodness, even when we cannot see or understand it. As we explore Your Word together, open our eyes to Your faithfulness, deepen our trust in You, and draw us into the joy of knowing You more fully. Amen.

Movement 1 — Goodness Beyond Our Making | Psalm 34:4–10

Context: David wrote this psalm after escaping a dangerous encounter with a foreign king.

Psalm 34:4–10 (NIV)

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. ⁵ Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. ⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. ⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. ⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. ⁹ Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. ¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

1) Can we recognize God's goodness in our lives without necessarily coming to know Him personally? What might be the difference?

Probes

Consider the difference between appreciating someone's generosity and developing a personal friendship with that person.

Explore how gratitude for something God has done might become an invitation to know Him more deeply.

Consider the different ways someone might experience God's goodness and what those experiences could mean for their relationship with Him.

Reflection: Experiencing someone's generosity and developing a relationship with that person are not necessarily the same thing. David's invitation gives us an opportunity to explore that distinction in our relationship with God.

Consider: How might discovering God's goodness open the door to knowing Him more personally?

2) How can we grow in confidence that God is good when our circumstances seem to suggest otherwise?

Probes

Consider how an unanswered prayer, an unexpected loss, or an unmet need might affect our confidence in God's goodness.

Explore the difference between trusting God's character and expecting Him to provide a particular outcome.

Explore how experiences that seem to contradict God's promises might challenge or deepen our understanding of His goodness.

Reflection: David speaks confidently of God's care and provision. Yet our experiences do not always unfold as we hope, leaving us to explore what it means to trust His goodness when we cannot understand His ways.

Consider: How might our relationship with God deepen as we learn to trust His goodness without knowing what He will do next?

Movement 2 — Providence Beyond Our Sight | Genesis 50:15–21

Context: Years after Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, they fear he will seek revenge following their father's death.

Genesis 50:15–21 (NIV)

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. ¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

3) When people deliberately cause harm, how much power do their intentions really have over what ultimately happens?

Probes

Consider situations where another person's choices have caused lasting harm.

Explore the distinction between someone's harmful intentions and the eventual consequences of their actions.

Consider the different purposes people may pursue through their actions, and whether those purposes necessarily determine the final outcome.

Reflection: Joseph does not minimize the harm his brothers intended. Yet his understanding of what ultimately happened is strikingly different from theirs.

Consider: How might recognizing this possibility affect the way we view circumstances shaped by other people's harmful choices?

4) Joseph eventually recognized God's purpose in what happened to him. How do we live with confidence when we may never understand the reasons behind our own experiences?

Probes

Consider how much of Joseph's story remained unexplained while he was living through it.

Explore the difference between trusting that God has purposes and believing we can, or ever will, be able to identify those purposes ourselves.

Think about how our relationship with God might develop when explanations are unavailable.

Reflection: Joseph could look back and recognize a purpose that had become visible through the years. Our own stories may remain unresolved, leaving questions that cannot be answered simply by comparing them with those of others.

Consider: What might help us remain open to God's goodness without requiring an explanation for everything that happens?

Movement 3 — Confidence Beyond Our Explanations | Psalm 73:23–28

Context: Troubled by the apparent prosperity of the wicked, the psalmist struggles to understand God's ways before arriving at a different perspective.

Psalm 73:23–28 (NIV)

²³ Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. ²⁷ Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

5) What happens to our confidence in God when important questions about our circumstances remain unanswered?

Probes

Consider how unanswered questions can affect even our closest relationships.

Explore the difference between understanding someone's decisions and trusting the person making them.

Consider how our experience of God's presence might influence that trust, even while the questions remain.

Reflection: The psalmist has struggled with questions about God's ways. Yet his closing words express a confidence that reaches beyond his ability to explain what he has experienced.

Consider: How might our confidence in God develop when we cannot resolve the questions that trouble us?

6) What difference might there be between appreciating what God does for us and finding satisfaction in knowing Him?

Probes

Consider how our relationship with someone we love differs from simply appreciating the things they do for us.

Explore how our desires and expectations might change as a relationship becomes more personal and meaningful.

Consider what the psalmist's words about God's nearness and his own desires might add to this discussion.

Reflection: The psalmist's language becomes deeply personal. His attention turns toward God Himself, and his words invite us to consider the place God occupies among the things we value most.

Consider: How might the joy of knowing God change the way we experience both His gifts and life's disappointments?

7) Looking back across these three passages, how might our understanding of God's goodness and our relationship with Him begin to change?

Probes

Consider the different ways we encounter God's goodness through unexpected gifts, difficult circumstances, and unanswered questions.

Explore how recognizing His goodness might gradually influence our confidence in Him, even when life remains uncertain.

Consider how growing confidence in God's goodness might affect what we seek most in our relationship with Him.

Reflection: David invites us to experience God's goodness, Joseph reveals purposes that extended beyond human intentions, and the psalmist speaks of the goodness of drawing near to God. Together, their experiences open a larger conversation about what it means to know and trust Him.

Consider: As your understanding of God's goodness grows, what might you begin to desire most in your relationship with Him?

Scripture quotations from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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