This Sunday we explored one powerful question: Does my view of God's goodness shape how I see my circumstances, or do my circumstances shape how I see God's goodness?

Looking at the life of Daniel, we discovered that Babylon wasn't evidence that God had abandoned him—it was evidence that God was already at work in places no one expected. While many of us tend to measure God's goodness by comfort, answered prayers, or favorable circumstances, Daniel's life reminds us that God's greatest promise has never been a problem-free life. His greatest promise is His presence.

When we believe God is only good when life goes the way we planned, we spend our energy trying to escape difficult places. But when we know His goodness is rooted in the reality that He is with us, and we are in Him, we become free to walk ...