Perhaps you have been a member of a congregation to whom the pastor says, expectantly, “God is good!” The congregation responds, faithfully, “All the time.” In turn, the speaker repeats: “All the time.” And the congregation affirms: “God is good!”

A collective affirmation of God’s faithfulness amidst the trials of life, this refrain communicates a theme presented again and again in Scripture: Come what may, God will be with us.

There is no official consensus on the origins of this saying, though it is often associated with African Christianity. Whatever this saying’s roots, its message is truth: “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations,” says Psalm 100:5. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever,” echoes 1 Chronicles 16:34. Jesus confirms this in Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

©LPi