By Cindy Phillips
Why oh why is this happening?
Have you ever cried that? Have you heard others ask it? Have you ever wondered by bad things happen to “good” people?
The truth is God created everything very good (Gen 1:31). The truth is God works all things together for the GOOD of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). What happened? Free will happened. God allowed man (and still does) to choose his path. Man can choose to believe God or not. Man can choose to obey God or not. These choices have consequences.
So sometimes bad things happen as a consequence of bad choices. And the choice may even be someone else’s. Sometimes bad things happen to people as the result of someone else’s bad choice and not their own. You’ve heard the saying “wrong place, wrong time”. It is important as believers to be in constant communion with God, asking Him what He wants you to do and where He wants you to go. Quick obedience to what the Lord shows you will save you a lot of trouble. Learn to hear His voice. If you haven’t done this before, ask the Lord to teach you. He will!
But what about “natural disasters”? The recent hurricane caused much damage and loss of life. How do you answer someone who just lost a loved one and/or all their earthly possessions? These are real questions Christians are asked every day. How do you answer it?
We can see a great part of the answer in the book of Job. We can see the enemy prowling all around the earth (walking to and fro). We also see he is accountable to God Almighty for his actions. We learn NOTHING happens on earth without the permission of God. Here is where the omniscience of God is on display. He knows what will happen before it happens. As believers we can be confident we can and will overcome any difficulty God permits in our path because He promises it is for our good. As believers we can comfort unbelievers by sharing how God has rescued us in the past. We have the words of hope the dying world needs. It is not so much “why bad things happen to good people” as it is how God is working out His masterful plan. When a man is at his lowest it is easier for him to look up. Show others the way up. Plant and water seeds of hope and God will give the increase.