Bad Things-Good People

Why do bad things happen to good people?

I watched as a young boy about the age of twelve stood by the casket that held his father's earthly body. My heart cried as I thought of everything that little boy will miss not being able to go through his teen years or the rest of his life with his father, and I cry in my heart. A twelve year old boy shouldn't have to live without his Dad, yet his dad was gone and there was nothing I or any one of the doctors could do about it.

Later in the week a guy from my former youth group was stabbed for standing up for his faith, when confronted on his stand on homosexuality. A story comes across my Facebook timeline of a little boy suffering from cancer. The orange helicopter flies overhead and you know it can't be good.

And the list could go on of all the bad things that go on in our world today, the wars, the abortion, the sexual abuse, etc!

When you look at all of this it's easy to ask the question, why do bad things happen to good people? I am here today saying; I want to turn that question around why do good things happen to bad people? One could go on what makes a person good or bad? That is a whole topic in and of itself.

But to answer my first question you have to go back to the beginning of the Bible, where everything began. Where did death, destruction, and bad things start? What brought that into the world?

"So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." To the Women He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it'; "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3;14-19NKJV

Because of Adam and Eve's sin, sin entered the world, they were chased out of the perfect Garden God had created for man-kind to live in and sin, pain, hurt, and the list could go on entered the world. Until Jesus comes back and makes all things new by creating a New Heaven and a New Earth we will continue to have sin, hurt, pain, and all things "bad".

One could still ask, "OK, so you told me where pain all started but what did that do to change any of this?" I know, you have to let me finish.

Job in the Bible believe it or not had the same questions. Job even questioned God asking, Why?

In my mind I imagine God sitting down with Job as a Father does his child (although in this case God spoke out of a whirlwind) wrapping his arms around Job, He goes on to say...

"... “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know or who stretched the line upon it? ... Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. … “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are!’? Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?" Job 38:1-5,17,18,34-36NKJV

God continues to go on questioning Job... and in the end of it all He goes Job listen to me "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it."Job 40:2

By this point God has Job's attention and Job is starting to understand... if that is your struggle I pray that you would not only reread the verses that are above but go to the book of Job and discover the rest of the questions that God asked Job.

Job finally answers back to God as a little child knowing that he had done wrong, by questioning God. He says, "Behold I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes twice, but I will proceed no further." Job 40:4-5NKJV

Who are we to question the Authority of God, and all powerful Creator, Who is, and was, and is to come? We are simply just humans God has seen fit to place on planet earth.

So Job acknowledged his frailty before an Awesome God and repented heart. God blessed Job for this and He will bless you when you place your full trust and faith in Him. Job 42:17, "So Job died, old and full of days."

May we learn never to question God for what He may bring into our lives but rather understanding that He allows these things to happen to us so that we in turn will place more of our faith, trust, hope, and strength in Him. One of my favourite passages of scripture that became very near to me during a low point in my life was this "Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

God allows these things in our lives so that He can show the fulfillment of His Glory, and His caring heart, His Excellence. Can you imagine with me for a moment that if God never allowed a trial in our lives, how would we know that He is a Provider, a Sustainer, a Comforter, and the list could go on?

God also says in His Holy Word, "In this world, you will have trials but have no worries, for I have overcome the World."

Romans 8:37-39 "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Are you persuaded in your own heart on what God is capable of all doing in your life?