How to Know God Is Good and Great When You Can’t See Him

“Did you see what I wrote on the mirror?” He’s giddy insistent. First, he points to words I don’t even see in the disappearing, post-shower stream. 

God is good.

God is great.

Bless his 9-year-old heart, reminding me that even when we can’t see how, God’s steadiness writes a never-ending story.

God is faithfully good and forever great.

He thinks of it before football, which he drew next. Tells me all of it without stopping, as it there’s no reason the steadying presence of Jesus doesn’t fit right into our hopes and our habits and our hobbies. 

Perhaps it’s as simple and holy and true as this: write Jesus right into your story to see how He’s right here even when we can’t see Him.

Make it everyday language that Jesus is your everything. That He’s with you through everything. Present even when you fail to see Him.

Say it to your tired soul, showering at the end of a long day: 

God is good.

God is great.

Write it where you’ll see it again and again. Tuck this truth deep down in your heart of hearts. Outline hope with the tip of your finger.

God is good.

God is great.

The Unchanging Goodness of God

The phrase, “God is good,” traces to the tip of an ancient pen. In the words of the Psalmist,

The Lord is good to all;

    he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:9 NIV

This all-inclusive goodness is captured so potently in The Voice translation:

But the Eternal’s goodness is not exclusive—it is offered freely to all.

    His mercy extends to all His creation.

That means you are not left out of this promise. No matter how dark life might feel for you this morning, no matter how unhappy or hurried you are, no matter how hard you have to lean on unseen hope, the goodness of God has no limit, no red tape, no reservation. 

It’s for you in the tender breaking of something you weren’t ready to let go.

It’s for you as you anxiously pray for a miracle.

It’s for you when your hands are wrung–or your heart is wronged.

May I pray for you right now?

Lord, I hold my friend up to You today. You know exactly where she needs a glimpse of Your goodness. Just as words drawn on a mirror reappear with a fresh shower, shower her with compassion so she can again see how good You are to her. In Your name, Lord, I pray. Amen.

The All-Surpassing Greatness of God

If you guessed that the line, “God is great,” comes from this same Psalm, you would be correct. In verse 3, David writes,

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

    his greatness no one can fathom.

NIV

Unfathomable greatness elicits awe. We worship the “most worthy” One whose greatness cannot be contained. Like His goodness, there is no cap, no criteria, no curtailment.

Instead, there is endless splendor. Unfettered glory. Indescribable majesty.

God’s greatness doesn’t go away any more than the hand-drawn declaration on my bathroom mirror does. Even when we can’t see it, we can trust that God’s holiness is still intact. In fact, since He’s all-deserving of our praise, that might be exactly the way to make out His glory when life obscures our vision.

​​In The Voice translation, this verse reads,

The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;

    His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.

    No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.

Psalm 145:3

Right in the midst of your troubled heart and restless soul, God “deserves endless praise.” His worthiness does not depend on our circumstances. In any and every situation, we are to lift high the name of our Lord, joyfully.

As Paul urges us,

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 NIV

Paul would be one to talk on this topic. I wonder if he was thinking of beatings and stonings and shipwrecks (2 Corinthians 11:25) and all the other times God’s grace sustained him when he emphasized “always.”

We gather from the repetition that what Paul is saying is very important. He longs for us to take it to heart, to walk it out in our actual lives, so that we can see the difference in our vision when our hearts are grateful.

Walking Out Gratitude

If we are to “rejoice in the Lord always,” sometimes we will have to tell God thank you before we can see His greatness, or His goodness.

Sometimes we will have to go first with our gratitude–before, not after, He answers, interves, redeems.

As Ann Voskamp says in One Thousand Gifts, “Thanksgiving . . . always precedes the miracle.” Count the grace-gifts, the God-hugs, the glimmers of glory to grasp how God can always, always be counted on.

Perhaps the best miracle of all is acquiring the vision to see God’s goodness and greatness that have been right before us, all along.

Choose to rejoice in the changeless nature of God–and receive eyes to see Him more clearly. 

Praise the renowned name of Christ–right on the precise of the storm–and find peace that steadies you.

Pave the way to belief with one exclamation of gratitude at a time.

Out loud–around your table, in your car, amongst your neighbors–tell God thank you. Then both you and those within earshot can be filled with hope even before you see the fullness of God.

God is good.

God is great.

Right now and always.

Let’s pray.

Oh Lord, our good and great God, give us fresh vision to see You. Help us to praise You on the days we can’t see You. Remind us that You are right here. Steady us with peace and fill us with hope. We love You.

In Your name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Just a friend over here in your corner,

---

What if you gave your faith the chance to ripple right into your neighborhood? These quick tips provide a wide variety of baby steps to help you begin to build friendships with your neighbors. When we get close to God and let others get close to us, the things God is working out in us can show.

P.S. Prefer the audio? Listen to The Uncommon Normal podcast for the same weekly content! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or listen to the latest episodes right here!