Passage
The Lord is good, and giveth strength in the day of trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.
Nahum 1:7 (DRB)
Nearby Context
Nahum 1:5 The mountains tremble at him, and the hills are made desolate: and the earth hath quaked at his presence, and the world, and all that dwell therein.
Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before the face of his indignation? and who shall resist in the fierceness of his anger? his indignation is poured out like fire: and the rocks are melted by him.
Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, and giveth strength in the day of trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.
Nahum 1:8 But with a flood that passeth by, he will make an utter end of the place thereof: and darkness shall pursue his enemies.
Nahum 1:9 What do ye devise against the Lord? he will make an utter end: there shall not rise a double affliction.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "lord", "good", "giveth", "strength", "trouble", "knoweth", and "hope". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Who can stand before the face of..." into verse 8's "But with a flood that passeth by...", so "lord" and "good" belong inside that flow. In Nahum context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.