God Is Good, All The Time

James 1:16-18 ESV

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The struggles we face give us the opportunity to trust God more deeply than we could have ever thought possible. Remember, James began his letter with the idea that we should look upon these trials with a joyful heart. Growing in our faith, and continually drawing closer to God is truly something to rejoice about.

Verse sixteen reminds us that we should not deceive ourselves. In the previous verses, James said, “God does not tempt us.” Here, James is expounding on that idea by letting us know, “Every good gift comes from God.”

I suppose, to stay in the context, it should be said that we are sometimes tempted to blame God in the midst of our trials. Have you ever been guilty of losing your trust in God? A common response to a bad situation is, “Where is God in all this?” In these moments, we are tempted to make an attempt to control circumstances on our own. In our minds, God has lost some level of trustworthiness, and then we try to take charge.

We must remember that God is the source of everything good, and He does not tempt us. He is the “Father of Lights,” and James tells us He never changes, not even when we are experiencing hardships. It seems as if James is saying God is light, and He can never be the shadow blocking light.

In the last verse of this section, James brings this idea home with the fact that God has already given us the greatest gift of all – new life in Christ. What a tremendous idea to hold onto in the very moments when we are suffering through trials.

We should always look to God, and especially in difficult times. We should always rely on His guidance, wisdom, and protection. We should never lie to ourselves, and always recognize God as the bringer of everything good.

Like the song says, “God is Good All The Time.”