How Can God Be Good When Bad Things Happen?
Thursday June 18, 2015
Where is God when things are hard? When the money runs out, when a little one is sick, when disaster strikes and takes lives, when someone is hurt or killed unjustly -- where is God? God is right beside us to sustain us in our suffering and pour out His goodness, compassion, and steadfast love upon us.
I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love. He said, “They are my very own people. Surely they will not betray me again.” And he became their Savior. In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. (Isaiah 63:7-9 NLT)
We live in a broken world where all sorts of wrongs take place and troubles come from one side or another. In His wisdom, God allows some of these difficulties. Why does he do it? God wants to build character and faith in us. We see only the vision that's right before us and God sees the beginning and end of all things. When troubles come, five minutes seems like a long time to us let alone five months or five decades. How do each of these look in comparison to five billion years? God is calling us to come to a way of life that prepares us for the five billion years. Sometimes that means He'll wait for us to reach out for His love rather than just fix situations so we can go on independently thinking we are managing just fine on our own.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4 NIV)
We want pain gone in a moment and God wants pain gone for eternity. Only God knows how to save us. Only God knows how to lift us up. God does promise to carry our burdens and give us rest. God does understand our affliction. God loves His children and is ready to help us when we stop kicking and shouting and let him draw us close to Himself. What would it take for us to make a choice, in the midst of our current trouble, to trust God's goodness and put all the circumstances of our lives into His hands without complaining?
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