Recently, I was asked to speak evangelistically on the topic “Is God good?”. Today, the big question people ask is not, “Is God real?”, but, “Is God good?” For many people, the existence of God is beyond question. It is hard to explain how the universe came into being without a creator. But the more perplexing issue concerns the character of God. With all the suffering in our world and in our lives, how could a good God stand by and do nothing? In this section, the psalmist speaks of his sufferings but reminds himself and us of the unchanging goodness of God.

Two key themes fill all of Psalm 119. First, the righteous who try to live by God’s laws will be persecuted by wicked people who mock them and plot against them. Second, the righteous find deep delight in meditating on and living according to God’s commands. These aren’t two unrelated truths; they go together. The more the righteous suffer, the more they delight in God and His Word. Just as James can “consider it pure joy” in times of trial (James 1:2), so the psalmist can testify that it’s these trials that cause his love for God and His laws to grow. That is the testimony of this section of Psalm 119.

The key word of this section is “good” (vv. 65, 66, 68, 71). The psalmist acknowledges that God is good all the time (v. 68), and asks Him to continue to manifest His goodness towards him (v. 65). But the great paradox is expressed in verse 71: “It was good for me to be afflicted.” In this instance, God’s goodness to him is seen, not in sparing him from affliction, but in allowing him to suffer. This deepens his love for God’s Law.

A pastor who has since lost his battle against cancer wrote, “I can honestly tell you that having this life-threatening illness has actually sharpened and increased my faith. As I stare at the possibility of an early death, I am, in fact, more confident than ever in these things.”

These twin themes of suffering at the hands of the wicked and delight in God’s laws continue in the next section of the psalm (vv. 73–80). When I pray for friends who are suffering, I make two requests. I pray that God will deliver them, but also that their faithful endurance in suffering will be an encouragement to those around them. This is the desire of the psalmist. He asks that “those who fear you rejoice when they see me” (v. 74). Confidence in God’s sovereignty and goodness in the midst of our afflictions can bolster the faith of other Christians and be a powerful testimony to a watching, unbelieving world.