Pastor Rick Warren
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Is God Really Good All the Time? - part 1
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Pastor Rick Warren
How to Trust God’s Goodness When Life Gets Tough
07/02/2026

“For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” Psalm 100:5 (NLT)

If you grew up in a Christian home, you may have learned this childhood prayer: “God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen.” While simplistic, that prayer covers one key characteristic of God: his goodness.

Is it really true that God is good all the time? Absolutely! But many people don’t live like they believe it. It can be hard to believe in God’s goodness for many reasons, especially when you’re in pain and conflict. Those are the times you forget about God’s goodness. When you’re depressed, you think his goodness is for everyone except you. And when you’re worried or stressed out, you can’t seem to find—much less think about—God’s goodness, even when it’s right in front of you.

So how can you trust in God’s goodness when you don’t feel it? The Bible reminds you of his goodness over and over. Psalm 100:5 says, “For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation” (NLT).

Focusing on God’s goodness is so important to your life. It gives you a new perspective on your darkest days. But when you forget God’s goodness, you lose perspective and can only see the difficulty you’re facing.

God wants to give you a life of confidence by assuring you of his love and care. He wants to give you a life of influence and opportunities so that you can make a difference in the world. And he wants to give you an inheritance and a home in heaven with him forever. Who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t need that?

So how can you experience God’s goodness? Sure, you can learn about God’s goodness when you read the Bible or hear a message about it. But you actually experience God’s goodness when you worship him. Nothing helps you focus like worship!

The Message paraphrase says, "Worship GOD if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness" (Psalm 34:9). The way you experience God's goodness is through worship—when you praise God and thank him for who he is and what he has promised you.

Believing and understanding the goodness of God will revolutionize your life and give you a new perspective on your circumstances. It will transform your life!

Talk It Over
  • How does remembering God’s goodness to you in the past help you in your present pain?

  • Why does believing in God’s goodness give you confidence as you walk through life?

  • What verses from God’s Word remind you of his goodness?

Will you follow Jesus today?
God proved his goodness through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 CSB).

Are you ready to trust God to fulfill his promise of eternal life? If so, pray this simple prayer: "Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen." 

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.

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Pastor Rick Warren
Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope brings biblical hope and encouragement to people around the world. Through his daily audio and written devotional Bible teaching, Pastor Rick shares the hope of Christ and the biblical truths people need to live a truly purpose driven life.
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