Electricity cuts and God's goodness

One of the "joys" of living in Cambodia is the unpredictability of electricity supply. The last month or so, it seems to have been more unpredictable than usual, by which I mean there have been more blackouts than previously experienced.

This afternoon the electricity was on when I headed down for lunch duty at 1pm, and off by the time I headed back upstairs half an hour later. Grrrr! The lesson I had planned required electricity. Life's like that. Just as well I had a backup plan. We opened the window, and got on with it. It was still off during the after school program (I'm doing my second term of multiplication games), and by then any benefit of having the air-conditioner on earlier in the day was well and truly gone. I'm just glad my classroom doesn't get the direct afternoon sun or it would have been much warmer.

I dropped into the office before heading home, and made a comment that I was heading home because it was highly likely that I would have power there and could at least sit in front of a fan and work. I also commented that God had been very good to me in terms of electricity since I'd been in Cambodia. I said this, since most of the places I've lived have been on electricity lines that seem to suffer less cuts than other lines.

Here's the question. Was I right to acknowledge this as God's goodness to me? Just because other people (who also know and love and serve Him) experience more power failures than I do, does it mean God is not good to them. What do you think? Should we say that God is good to us when we experience good things, and others experience more difficult situations. Are we saying He is less good to them, or that for some reason they haven't earned His goodness?

Here's what I think. God is good. It is His nature. God works in our lives in His perfect way. He doesn't dictate what is going to happen to us, but He does choose to bless us, and to work ALL things for good for those who are called, according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).

So has God been good to me in leading me to live in places that have a reasonably reliable electricity supply? Yes, I think He has. Has He been good to me in other ways. Yes. Was He any less good when I went through that difficult time 2 years ago? No. In fact, as I look back at that time I can see many examples of His goodness in the dark times. Was He any less good when He chose not to heal my father's cancer on this earth, but took him home? No. Yes, it hasn't been easy adapting to life without Dad around, especially for Mum, but God was good to us during the time of Dad's illness in many ways, and continued to be good during the years that have passed since then.

If the power went off right now, would I rant and rave and blame God and say He's not good any more? I hope not. Was God good when the power was off this afternoon? Yep! Even if I didn't enjoy it that much, God was still good. After all I could have been out in the hot sun, with no shelter, and nothing to drink. Now then I might have a reason to question His goodness. Does God change? No. So does His goodness change? No way. So, should I acknowledge God's goodness in everyday good things, even if others are having not so good experiences. What do you think? I'll be interested in your comments. Meanwhile, I'll finish this post by trying something I've never done before and adding a YouTube clip of a favourite song on this topic. Enjoy!