“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” James‬ ‭5:13‬

God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

You may have heard that said, or you may have even said it yourself. James pens this verse to remind us that when life is unbearable we need to cry out to God. On the other hand, during the good times we need to praise God. In one sense, James is saying the same thing twice. The prayers we offer up when life is hard are prayers of petition. The praise we offer up when life is good are prayers of gratitude . Either way, regardless of the way life is, James teaches us that we should always go to God.

God is good all the time, when The raise you were hoping for finally comes through. All the time God is good, when downsizing forces you to lose a career of 30 years.

God is good all the time, when the doctors report comes back encouraging. All the time God is good, when the test results are scary.

God is good all the time, when that relationship you hoped for is better than expected. All the time God is good, when the person you loved and trusted leaves you.

God is good all the time, when the person you voted for wins the election. All the time God is good, when the future looks dismal because the election didn’t go as hoped.

God is good all the time, when those investments paid off. All the time God is good, when you’ve lost everything you had.

Life can deal hard blows. The only thing that we can really count on, is the fact that in the good and the bad, God is good. When you approach the father, the father who loves you more than anything else, praise him in the good times and rest in his arms in the bad times. Because God is good all the time and all the time God is good.