God is good: All the time

Ann Webster at church says aloud "God is good!" to which the congregation says "All the time!" The preacher will say "All the time..." and the congregation says "God is good!"

God loves the aroma (sic) of hearing praise. The sound of praise smells (sic) so good to his ears! Why the symbolism here? It's because of what God says he likes:

Exodus 30:6 "And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations."

The priest no longer offers sacrifices. That has been done once and for all by Jesus, God himself! The only sacrifice we need to offer now is our own living sacrifice. We submit ourselves a servant of God. However, because we no longer have temple worship doesn't mean that we can no longer offer God praise. Now, rather than rituals, we say it with our voices. The sweet smell that Jesus desires is praise. It has a pleasing aroma to him! "God is good... all the time!" is that pleasing aroma that he wants to hear! It's the burning of incense to him.

 James 3:5 ( ESV) "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! "

James 3:8 tells us to "tame the tongue". Why? It is likened into a small fire.  An untamed tongue can set a forest ablaze, but a tame tongue can be used to bless (James 3:20).

The tame tongue is a small fire and the blessings are the incense. As such praising God is the burning of incense as they did in temple worship. It's the aroma from a tamed tongue which God wants to hear because it pleases him! Few burn incense for God's pleasure now, but everyone can fire off praises with their tongues.

Why is it that "God is good!" such a desirable aroma?

Matthew 19:17a "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God..."

Perhaps the chant should be "Only God is good!". 

Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I change not..."

Here is the rest of the chant: God never changes! Hence, if he is "good", he is "good all the time"!

"Only God is good. He changes not!" or as we say it "God is good... all the time!"

Not only can we praise God with that verbal incense, it's scripture. It's truth!