“God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.”
I remember hearing this classic saying growing up in my tiny church in Washington, Illinois. As a young Christian, I used to think this sounded very cliché. Over time, I have come to greatly appreciate this reminder.
At some point in our lives, I think we have all found ourselves on a detour, a season where our lives didn’t quite go as planned. We call these seasons detours because our plan didn’t go as smoothly or as timely as we had hoped. Something went wrong. What was supposed to take a few days took years. Something that was supposed to be simple became more and more complex.
It’s easy in these moments, even for the seasoned Christian, to focus solely on the detour, but that’s a mistake. Instead, we should focus on the guide. It is easy to focus on what should have happened or what could have been, but I have found that it’s most helpful is to remember that, even in the detour, God is both good and aware of the situation.
When I was in my early 20s, I had plans for my life. I knew where I wanted to work and what degrees I wanted to complete, and I had a timeline for my family. None of these came in the manner or the time that I had scheduled. School took longer, plans were delayed, and marriage wasn’t for a few more years. I found myself frustrated with the detour.
I’m sure many of you can identify on some level with this story. The promotion never came. The report from the doctor’s office wasn’t what you prayed for. Your child never came home and the list of hurt goes on and on. In the detour, it’s hard to have joy. It’s hard to maintain hope. But remember that, on the detour, God is both aware of the situation, and he is good.
“God is good all the time” isn’t cliché. It’s the truth and a great reminder on the detour.