Giving Thanks for the Goodness of God

One of the first things we learn about God is that he is good. “God is great, God is good, let us
thank him for our food.” Many of us grew up hearing this prayer at the dinner table. It’s good
theology—simple and true.

It also highlights an attribute of God that is surprisingly hard to define. We think we know what
it means for God to be good, until we try to explain it. Then we usually start listing other
attributes (God is loving, God is gracious, God is kind) or resort to platitudes (God helps us). It
takes some reflection to understand all that we mean—or should mean—when we confess that
God is good.