Stephen Fry caused great controversy when he recently said, "Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?” The Bible dosen't run away from questions over the character of God. King David, the 'man after God's heart,' cried out to God:
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
Psalm 13:1
How did David respond to his feeling that God had forgotten him, that God had deliberately withdrawn his face from him?
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
Psalm 13:5,6
Even as David cried out to God wondering what was going on he knew that he would find his trust in God. David knew God, not just knew facts about him but new him intimately. He had lived his life in relationship to God. David could find a song of praise because he knew that God had been good to him. Whatever the circumstances in my life, I want to do the same. To believe that:
Every fibre of his being
Every beat of his heart
Every word from his mouth
Every thought from his mind
Every step that he takes
Every action of his nature
Every look of his eye
Is good
God has never considered an action that is not good
He has never acted in a way that is not completely and utterly good
God could not improve on anything that he has done, he could not respond more quickly, could not ensure a better outcome, could not do things differently
All he has done
is doing
and will do
is good
