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The title comes from the chorus of Dottie Rambo’s song, recorded by numerous artists over the years. The “He” refers to God and the first verse recounts the story of Job, the second the author’s life as a Christian, and the third Polycarp, an early Christian martyr. The song came to mind because one of our volunteers wrote that he had run across the verse he had heard me quote in several teachings, “You [God] are good and do good” (Psalm 119:68 ESV).

I first heard someone say that “God is a good God” when listening to the Oral Roberts’ programs from his tent crusade days in the 1950s. He often proclaimed (and I’ve often repeated it since), “Good is a good God and the devil is a bad devil. There’s no badness in God and there’s no goodness in the devil. God is totally good and the devil is totally bad. God is a good God and the devil is a bad devil.” Two amens to that one! I seem to remember he published a tract on the subject, Stuart Hamblin wrote a theme song for Oral with that phrase, and in 1960 Oral wrote a book with the title “God is a good God.”

In the Preface he writes: “I want to share with you an idea that can completely change your life… This single idea, based on the revealed Word of God, is a simple yet powerful concept that changed my life and has changed the lives of millions who have accepted it. The concept is stated most clearly in the title: God is a Good God. Believe this idea, understand its all-embracing meaning and application, and your life can become a new experience in the abundance of God’s gifts — materially, physically, mentally, spiritually.”

As Oral says, the revealed Word of God reveals Him as a good God, and there are plenty of verses that can be quoted. “Good and upright is the Lord…” (Psalm 25:8). “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endures forever” (Psalm 106:1, one of eight times that phrase is used). Too often the church focuses on the wrath of God, as in the famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”, one of very few he preached on the subject. When Jesus taught He focused on a God of love who wants only the best for His children — health, wealth, and happiness.

Another interesting verse gives an invitation to prove the truth: “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him” (Psalm 34:8). “Discover for yourself…” (CEV), “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see — how good God is” (Message). When you do, by following the instructions God gives in His Word, you can join hands with the millions who boldly proclaim “God is a good God” and “He ain’t never done me nothin’ but good.”