Goodness is who God is
The Bible does not present goodness as something God occasionally chooses to do. It presents it as part of who he is. When Moses asked to see God's glory, God revealed himself as merciful, gracious, patient, rich in kindness and faithful truth (Exodus 34:6). Psalm 119 says that God himself is good and that what he does flows from that goodness (Psalm 119:68).
This means God is never cruel, dishonest, selfish or morally compromised. Jesus pointed to this when he said that only God is truly good in the fullest sense (Mark 10:18). Human goodness can be real, but it is incomplete and inconsistent. God's goodness is steady.
Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
His goodness includes mercy and justice
Sometimes people hear that God is good and imagine he is simply pleasant or permissive. Scripture gives a deeper picture. God forgives sin and shows abundant mercy, yet he also takes wrongdoing seriously (Exodus 34:6-7). His goodness includes both compassion for the wounded and justice against evil.
That matters because a world where evil never mattered would not be a good world. Nahum calls God a strong refuge for those who trust him, even while speaking of his opposition to evil (Nahum 1:7). God does not ask people to call darkness good. He is good precisely because he sees clearly, judges rightly and offers mercy.
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Good does not always mean easy
A hard question follows. If God is good, why do faithful people suffer? The Bible never treats pain as imaginary. David wrote of walking through a dark valley, yet he trusted that God was present with him there (Psalm 23:4). God’s goodness is not a promise that every day will go as we want.
Paul wrote that God works in all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). That does not call every event good. Loss, betrayal and injustice are still painful and wrong. It means suffering does not have the final word, and God can faithfully work even through what he did not call good.
Taste and see
The invitation is personal. Psalm 34 calls people to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). You do not have to pretend you have no questions before coming to God. You can bring him your disappointment, fear and doubt, and ask him to show you his character.
One clear place to look is Jesus. God’s love is shown in Christ giving himself for sinners, not because they had earned it, but while they were still far from him (Romans 5:8). Read these passages for yourself. Notice the kind of God Scripture reveals, then keep bringing your real life to him in prayer.
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.