Is God Great? Is God Good?

Kevin: Welcome to Press Pause, the under 10-minute family worship podcast. We’re your hosts, Kevin, Trey (Hey Kevin!), and Jared (Hi guys!). This podcast is designed to help you—dads, moms, grandparents, and guardians—share big truths about Jesus with your kids. Just listen along with your family and keep your finger near your device so that you’re ready to press pause and talk about this week’s big truth with your kids. 

Before we begin, I have a question for the guys: Can you tell me about the best compliment you’ve ever gotten.

Trey, can you tell us about this week’s big questions and answers?

Trey: Sure thing. This week, there are two big questions. The first is… Is God great? And the answer is… Yes, and his greatness cannot be measured. Let’s say it again: Is God great? [Together: Yes, and his greatness cannot be measured.]

The second question helps us understand that God isn’t just great and awesome, but he’s also kind. It’s this...Is God good? And the answer is… Yes. No one is truly good except God.

Kevin: Where do we learn about this in the Bible, Trey?

Trey: We learn about how God is both good and great in Psalm 145. Two key verses from that Psalm are verses 3 and 9: “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom…. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Press Pause then open your Bible to Psalm 145 and read that passage with your family.

Kevin: Psalm 145:3 and 9 says, “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom…. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” I love the last verse of that psalm as well: “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever.”

God’s goodness and greatness lead us to praise him! It’s such a wonderful truth. But there’s a difficult word in that passage. Jared, can you tell us what the word “fathom” means? 

Jared: You’re right, Kevin, I thought that was a difficult word, too. Today, when someone says, “I can’t fathom that,” it means something like, “That’s really hard to understand.” But In the old days—and I mean really old days—the word had a different meaning. You see, in ancient times, sailors would use something called a sounding line to measure the depth of the ocean. 

Trey: A sounding line? What did it sound like?

Jared: I don’t think it made a sound. Maybe “plop!” You see, a sounding line was a long piece of rope with a piece of lead attached to the end. The lead would make the rope sink down to the bottom of the water. Sailors made marks along the line in equal intervals that they called “fathoms.” However far the rope sank, that’s how many fathoms deep the water was. Sailors still use a standard fathom—about six feet—to measure the depth of the ocean today (but they usually use a sonar device and not a sounding line).

In the old days, most sounding lines measured up to one hundred fathoms. So, with that tool, a sailor could measure any ocean depth close to shore. However, when he sailed out to sea, there came a point when the waters were out of sounding. They were too deep to be measured.

Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” This verse tells us that God is too big to measure. People can understand God truly, but we can’t understand him completely, because God is deeper than the ocean. We can’t measure God with hours or minutes, because God is timeless and eternal. We can’t measure God with miles or inches, because God is everywhere; he fills all things. We can’t measure God’s strength with pounds or tons, because God is omnipotent; he is all-powerful.

And God isn’t just great without measure. He’s also completely good. Psalm 145:9 says, “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” God is thoroughly good. He’s wise, holy, just, loving, and true. People have different strengths and weaknesses. You might say, for instance, that your friend Sally is loving, but she’s not very wise, because she trusts people too quickly. But God is undivided and perfect in all of his attributes. He’s both wise and loving through and through. He’s perfectly great, and he’s fully good. And that’s why we praise him!       

Press Pause and talk about it with your family. Answer this question: What is God like? List things about God that you can praise him for. Then, confess ways that you are not good like God. Confess times that you forget to be thankful.

Kevin: Okay, we’re back. So, Jared, can you answer the question? Can you list three things about God that you can praise him for?

Jared: I’m thinking about a few great things about God. 

First, God is wise. He always chooses the best. God is also holy. He is completely separate from sin. And God is love. He gives himself away to others. He gave himself away to us in Jesus Christ. That’s true goodness and greatness! 

Let’s praise God for who he is. God, thank you for being the great God. You are independent of us. You are unchangeable, eternal, all-powerful, and ever-present. Thank you for being the good God. You are wise, holy, loving, just, and true. Thank you for showing us your goodness and greatness in Jesus. Amen.

Sponsorship: Press Pause is brought to you in part by the Love Thy Neighborhood podcast: exploring today’s cultural moments through true stories of social action and Christian faith. Check out the show that Christianity Today called “amazing and authentic” by searching for Love Thy Neighborhood on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at lovethyneighborhood.org.

Trey: Thanks again for listening to Press Pause, the under 10-minute family worship podcast. Be sure to subscribe to Press Pause in your favorite podcasting app and leave us a rating or review. Also be sure to follow Gospel-Centered Family on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Join us next week for more big truths about Jesus for your whole family.