God is Good Even When Life is Not
Where’s God when life gets overwhelming? It’s easy to praise God and thank Him during those mountain-top moments: walking down the aisle, holding our first child, graduating, or celebrating a significant victory. We often see celebrities and athletes thanking God during their moments of triumph. Yet, life isn’t all mountain-top moments, is it? As the character Rocky famously said, “Nothing hits harder than life.”
Where is God when life hits hard? Perhaps you’re facing another cancer diagnosis, a relationship falling apart, a miscarriage, job loss, or daily anxieties that gnaw at your peace. While I can’t answer why these bad things happen or what to do in the midst of them, I can anchor myself—and encourage you to do the same—in the truth that God is good even when life is not.
God’s goodness is a constant, unchanging truth we can cling to. This is precisely what the author of Psalm 42 chose to do. Let’s reflect on Psalm 42:5:
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
In the midst of terrible circumstances, where his enemies mocked him and his heart was broken over many losses and hardships, the psalmist reminds himself of a profound truth. He chooses to put his hope in God and praises Him despite his pain.
I love this passage for a couple of reasons. First, I admire the active stance the psalmist takes. He says, “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him.” Sometimes, we must choose to praise God and trust Him, even when life is hard. The psalmist has determined within himself to praise God even when His hand is difficult to see.
Secondly, the repetition in Psalm 42 underscores the importance of this active choice. In verse 11, the psalmist repeats the exact words:
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
It’s as if he is reminding himself again and again: God is good, even when life is not. The writer understands his tendency to forget and employs repetition
Perhaps you need to do the same. I don’t know what you’re walking through, but I know that God is good, even when life is not. Maybe you need to write this truth down, put it in your phone, on your mirror, or repeat it to yourself daily: “God is good, even when life is not.” Today, choose to trust, find your hope, and praise God amid your struggles. He has you in His hands.
A Prayer for Trust and Hope
God, Thank you that you are where our hope can be found. You are the anchor that our soul needs. Even when our circumstances are not good, our hope is not in our circumstances but in you, who are above our circumstances. Help me to bolster my hope in you, to praise you, and to choose to trust you even when life is really hard. In your name, I pray. Amen.