Why do bad things happen to good people?
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12 – 13
No matter who we are, how good we think we are (or how good we actually are) or how much we study our Bible and pray, bad things will happen. In the past several months, two very sweet and godly women whom I love lost their babies. They were due around the same time. One lost her baby early in the pregnancy and the other lost her baby later in the pregnancy and actually had to go through the birthing process. They both wanted those babies, they had both prayed for and loved their babies and they both are EXCELLENT mothers. It is hard in those situations to understand why God would allow bad things to happen. We see people suffering all the time. People we love get cancer, lose loved ones, suffer pain (both physically and emotionally), and have a hard time financially. Those are just a few things that happen. The list could go on and on.
My husband has been pastoring for ten years so I know that bad things happen to good people. The Bible never promises us that our lives will be easy. In fact, it tells us that we will face troubles. (Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Job 14:1) There are several people in the Bible who struggled and went through what I would think of as unbearable things. Abraham was a “friend of God”*, yet God told him to take his son to a mountain to offer him up as a burnt offering*. Lot was a “perfect and upright man”* yet he went through horrible things in the book of Job. Even Jesus, the Son of God, suffered temptations, hunger, thirst, crucifixion, etc*.
I thought about it for a while and I’m sure we could come up with lots of reasons why bad things happen. Here are just a few that I thought of. I know this will not make going through trials easier, but maybe it will help to know that there is a reason and God can use us if we let Him.
1. It builds our faith in the Lord.
Let’s just be honest. Sometimes there is nothing that will help our faith while we are going through hard times (or maybe it’s just me). I went through about a year of deep depression and I know the only thing that kept me going was the prayers of brothers and sisters in Christ. But now I can see how that time grew my faith when I came out on the other side.
Sometimes we figure out why we go through things, and sometimes we don’t. I believe that most of our ‘whys’ won’t be answered until we get to Heaven. When we rely on the Lord and we see Him working in our lives, it will build our faith.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Cor 13:12
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
It’s hard to understand why people have to go through what they do, but remember that God sees things from the beginning to the end. He knows what we need, and where we need to grow. Even as children we all went through growing pains. That is a part of life. Accept that God knows better than you and put things into His hands.
2. It makes us stronger.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
“Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure; they bond together to start growing crystals. Because of the temperature and pressure, under these conditions, carbon atoms will bond to each other in this very strong type of bonding where each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms. That's why a diamond is such a hard material because you have each carbon atom participating in four of these very strong covalent bonds that form between carbon atoms. So as a result you get this hard material."*
God knows that high temperature and pressure will form us into the person He wants us to be. When we’ve gone through a trial one time we know that we can do it again. We know that God will be there to help us. It strengthens those faith muscles. When the next storm blows over us, we are much stronger and able to bear the pressure that comes along with it.
3. It prepares us to help other people.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Prov. 27:17
God uses us to help someone going through something that we’ve already gone through ourselves. No one wants to have a rare illness because 1) no one wants to be sick and 2) no one wants to be the only one…it helps to talk with someone who has ‘been there and done that’. Use the experience you gain through your trials to help someone get through their trial. They will appreciate you for it.
The Bible tells us in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep”. Who better to do that than someone who has already gone through it.
Let us remember that God created us. He knows exactly how much we can take.
Psalm 139:13 - 17
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col. 1:16
He will not give us more than we can handle.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Cor. 10:13
It’s hard to know what to say to people who are hurting. It’s hard to know what you should do for them or if you should do anything. I don’t have all of the answers; however, I do know that most people will appreciate knowing that you are praying for them. Don’t just say that you will pray for them, REALLY pray for them. And then when it’s your time to hurt, those people will pray for you.
1. James 2:23
2. Genesis 22:2
3. Job 1:1
4. Matthew 4, John 19
5. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/diamond.html#ixzz2dwC5p4gc
All Scripture taken from the King James Bible.
No matter who we are, how good we think we are (or how good we actually are) or how much we study our Bible and pray, bad things will happen. In the past several months, two very sweet and godly women whom I love lost their babies. They were due around the same time. One lost her baby early in the pregnancy and the other lost her baby later in the pregnancy and actually had to go through the birthing process. They both wanted those babies, they had both prayed for and loved their babies and they both are EXCELLENT mothers. It is hard in those situations to understand why God would allow bad things to happen. We see people suffering all the time. People we love get cancer, lose loved ones, suffer pain (both physically and emotionally), and have a hard time financially. Those are just a few things that happen. The list could go on and on.
My husband has been pastoring for ten years so I know that bad things happen to good people. The Bible never promises us that our lives will be easy. In fact, it tells us that we will face troubles. (Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Job 14:1) There are several people in the Bible who struggled and went through what I would think of as unbearable things. Abraham was a “friend of God”*, yet God told him to take his son to a mountain to offer him up as a burnt offering*. Lot was a “perfect and upright man”* yet he went through horrible things in the book of Job. Even Jesus, the Son of God, suffered temptations, hunger, thirst, crucifixion, etc*.
I thought about it for a while and I’m sure we could come up with lots of reasons why bad things happen. Here are just a few that I thought of. I know this will not make going through trials easier, but maybe it will help to know that there is a reason and God can use us if we let Him.
1. It builds our faith in the Lord.
Let’s just be honest. Sometimes there is nothing that will help our faith while we are going through hard times (or maybe it’s just me). I went through about a year of deep depression and I know the only thing that kept me going was the prayers of brothers and sisters in Christ. But now I can see how that time grew my faith when I came out on the other side.
Sometimes we figure out why we go through things, and sometimes we don’t. I believe that most of our ‘whys’ won’t be answered until we get to Heaven. When we rely on the Lord and we see Him working in our lives, it will build our faith.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Cor 13:12
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
It’s hard to understand why people have to go through what they do, but remember that God sees things from the beginning to the end. He knows what we need, and where we need to grow. Even as children we all went through growing pains. That is a part of life. Accept that God knows better than you and put things into His hands.
2. It makes us stronger.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
“Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure; they bond together to start growing crystals. Because of the temperature and pressure, under these conditions, carbon atoms will bond to each other in this very strong type of bonding where each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms. That's why a diamond is such a hard material because you have each carbon atom participating in four of these very strong covalent bonds that form between carbon atoms. So as a result you get this hard material."*
God knows that high temperature and pressure will form us into the person He wants us to be. When we’ve gone through a trial one time we know that we can do it again. We know that God will be there to help us. It strengthens those faith muscles. When the next storm blows over us, we are much stronger and able to bear the pressure that comes along with it.
3. It prepares us to help other people.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Prov. 27:17
God uses us to help someone going through something that we’ve already gone through ourselves. No one wants to have a rare illness because 1) no one wants to be sick and 2) no one wants to be the only one…it helps to talk with someone who has ‘been there and done that’. Use the experience you gain through your trials to help someone get through their trial. They will appreciate you for it.
The Bible tells us in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep”. Who better to do that than someone who has already gone through it.
Let us remember that God created us. He knows exactly how much we can take.
Psalm 139:13 - 17
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Col. 1:16
He will not give us more than we can handle.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Cor. 10:13
It’s hard to know what to say to people who are hurting. It’s hard to know what you should do for them or if you should do anything. I don’t have all of the answers; however, I do know that most people will appreciate knowing that you are praying for them. Don’t just say that you will pray for them, REALLY pray for them. And then when it’s your time to hurt, those people will pray for you.
1. James 2:23
2. Genesis 22:2
3. Job 1:1
4. Matthew 4, John 19
5. Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/diamond.html#ixzz2dwC5p4gc
All Scripture taken from the King James Bible.
Comments
Post a Comment