8.3.2026 - Jody Duncan

MONDAY, AUGUST 3

(This week’s devotions are written by Jody Duncan.)

Psalm 107:8-9

God gives us his goodness.

Today we read Psalm 107:8-9. Read the verses now or at the end of this devotion. What does this passage tell us about God’s goodness?

Of all the songs we sing during worship at The River, none moves me more than “God is Good,” by Jonathan McReynolds. The melody is beautiful, and it is coupled with deeply thoughtful lyrics:

May your struggles keep you near the cross

May your troubles show that you need God

May your battles end the way they should

And may your bad days prove that God is good …

May your whole life prove that God is good.

Every time we sing this in church, my throat tightens and tears come to my eyes.

This song is moving to me because it doesn’t speak of a God that is good only in a cheery world of rainbows and bunny rabbits. Rather, it talks of struggles, troubles, battles and bad days. Even during those bad days, the song tells us, God is good. Even as we struggle – maybe especially when we struggle – God feeds our longing, hungry souls with his goodness.

Goodness in the face of tragedy is a manifestation of God’s loving nature. It is on display when Joseph shows mercy to the brothers who have betrayed him. It is there to see in Job’s faithfulness, after having lost everything. The Apostle Paul models God’s goodness in the face of shipwreck and imprisonment.

These biblical characters acted with God’s goodness even as they experienced ‘bad days.’ I pray for the strength to do the same – and more. Rather than simply stand strong and faithful against tragedy, I pray that I might have the strength to turn tragedy around and use it as a catalyst to grace the world with goodness.

Actor Gary Sinise has all but suspended his acting career over the past decade so he can devote all his time to his Gary Sinise Foundation, which serves veterans. He became aware of veteran needs when he portrayed double-amputee Lieutenant Dan in the film “Forrest Gump.” Wounded vets served as consultants on the film, and Sinise formed close bonds with them, which led to the formation of the foundation in 2011.

Personal tragedy struck in 2024, when Sinise’s son, McCanna, died of a rare bone cancer at the age of 33. Mac, as he was called, was an accomplished musician and composer. After his son’s death, Gary Sinise produced two albums of Mac’s music, “Resurrection and Revival” 1 and 2. Per Mac’s request, all proceeds went to the Gary Sinise Foundation. The Sinise family also started a foundation to raise funds for the type of cancer that afflicted Mac, called Chordoma.

Mac also contributed posthumously to the Washington D.C. America 250 celebration on July 4. His composition, “Triumphant,” was the background score for a video about America, narrated by his father.

Goodness, charity, celebration – all arose out of the untimely death of a beloved young man. No doubt, Gary Sinise would take it all back in exchange for his son’s being alive and healthy. But those were not the cards he was dealt. Struck with tragedy, he looked for ways in which he could do good.

When we see goodness, we see God. But sometimes it is not easy to see the goodness. Sometimes, we must intentionally turn our eyes toward the good. We must look for it, even as we suffer. It is there. God is there.

Let us look for goodness today and may our days – even the bad ones – prove that God is good.