God is good, right?

I brought this up Sunday in the sermon I preached on prayer.  I don't want to beat a proverbial dead horse, but it might be worth considering again.  

Strike that.  

Yes.  

It is worth considering again.

Like me, you've probably been on Facebook or some other social media (this even happens via that old communication chain called email) when someone will light up your screen, news feed, notifications, or some other icon with this kind of declaration:

God is SO good!  He just answered my prayer by doing X!  God is good!  Amen!

First, let me say that I get the sentiment.  I get the idea.  I'm not opposed to either and the comments I make that follow are not regarding the celebration of answered prayer.  The Bible commands us to rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12.15).  Count me in the "I'd rather be rejoicing than griping" camp.  

But...

And you knew there was a but coming...

But, I cringe a little bit.  It's internal.  And writing it here and saying it this past Sunday make it external, I know.  But the cringe isn't directed at the celebration of answered prayer.  It's directed at the theology that maybe-just-maybe underlies the tweets, posts, blogs, or emails of that ilk.

Here's my one (and only one) question:

If God hadn't done X, in your heart would He still be good (or as good)?

What if He had done Y instead?  Would that make Him something else altogether?  Or what if He had done the exact opposite, a 1/X (and yes, my mother was a math teacher)?  Would that mean He would be the inverse of good to match His inverse of X?

Followers of Jesus, one and all, come and hear:  we do not pray so that God will be good or faithful or merciful.  We pray because He is good and faithful and merciful.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...