Why Do Bad Things Happen to God’s People
Seek God to Overcome Lives Trials
Hurricane making Landfall- George-Despris
On March 12th, 2006, after finding Elisha, our 7-year-old son, dead in bed, I asked my wife, “Why is God punishing us?” In shocked disbelief, I couldn’t fathom how and why God let this happen.
In the following months and years, I struggled to understand how God could let this happen even though we’d devoted our lives to following and serving Jesus. I asked the inevitable question: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
Over the 17 years since that life-shattering morning, I’ve learned many things through my Heavenly Father as He carried me through the pain. You can read about that in Tears Change-What I’ve Learned Since My Son Died and in A Psalm For Elisha.
For now, the only honest answer to why bad things happen to God’s Children is less than satisfactory. That answer is the fall of Man and Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden.
Fantasy book series like The Wheel of Time have popularized the idea of the world being broken. The world is genuinely broken; that much they got right, but they fail to understand how profound that brokenness is.
In the fall of man, death and sin entered the world, and creation itself was condemned.
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. Romans 8:19
Believers in Christ are spared many things and enjoy many blessings. However, because of the fall, we are also subject to the decay of creation, and we share this world with persons who have yet to know Jesus.
Finally, there is the fact that we have an enemy of our soul, Satan, who brings bad things to bear upon us, such as the travails Job endured.
Why Doesn’t God Undo the Effects of the Fall and Evil?
The question we have to ask is, why does God continue to allow evil to happen? Can’t He undo the effects of the fall of man, undoing the damage it has done to creation and man?
If you ask those questions, the answer is yes, and you’re not alone. When we look in Revelation Chapter 6, we see the souls of the persons who have been martyred below the throne, asking the question, “God, Father, why haven’t we been avenged? When is it going to happen? When is evil going to be put in its place?” (Rev. 6:9-1 )
The answer? They’re told to wait until the number of martyrs is fulfilled. Moreover, God knows who will still receive Him as Lord and Savior. If God were to reconcile things today, many of those people who are still to choose Jesus would perish without having the chance to come to salvation.
So the answer to “Why doesn’t God simply undo the effects of the fall and the evil it resulted in? The answer is that God is love. In 2 Peter 3:9, we are told,
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
What we see as indifference and neglect are, in fact, God’s infinite grace and mercy being exercised as He gathers His children. Waiting for God to act is hard on this side of eternity, but be assured that the Father is working to redeem man and creation.
The Great Reconciliation Has Begun
As Peter said above, the Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some believe. The events of Jesus' birth, ministry, and death on the cross set into motion the great reconciliation.
What is the Great Reconciliation? It is God’s way of redeeming man and re-creating creation. That plan began with the birth of Jesus.
Christ's coming set the reconciliation of man in motion in three ways. First, His birth brought the kingdom of God into man's world. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John1:14)
Second, Jesus’ ministry brought the gospel of grace to Jews and Gentiles alike. Through grace, the kingdom of God became accessible to all who believed in Jesus’ name.
Third, Jesus’ death on the cross Broke the power of sin and eath over man. The powers of darkness were disarmed for all time,
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15
In this passage, Paul writes that the forces of darkness have been disarmed and humiliated. If that’s true, and I believe it is, why do bad things still happen?
Once more, the answer is less than satisfactory. The lingering effects of man's fall remain in this life. While children of God are redeemed and new creations in Christ, we still live in a fallen and broken world.
As followers of Jesus, we are God's righteousness in Christ. Our identity is now that of the risen Christ. However, the nature of sin remains to tempt us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, children of God can gain victory over sin.
Unfortunately, people who have not yet come to Jesus don’t have the advantage of the Holy Spirit’s guidance and must face the Devil’s ploy on their own. Satan lost total control of the world at the cross, but he is still the enemy to your soul; consider this warning found in Revelation 12:12b,
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.
As you can see, between the sinful nature that remains in us and the devil’s tactics, there are some obstacles to God’s plan of redemption.
Free will is the final reason God doesn’t speak the word and eliminate these obstacles. Eliminating sin would mean taking away free will. The Father desires meaningful relationships with his children, not mindless followers void of free will.
As for the Devil’s antics, He was disarmed forever at the cross. (Col. 2:13-15) As part of creation, he was never a challenger to the Creator God we serve. Finally, he knows he is a defeated foe and that his time is short. (Rev. 12:12b)
So, the answer to the question of “Why does God let the effects of the fall and evil continue,” is and always will be God’s infinite mercy and grace.
The Cross Roads of Tragedy
When I was reeling under the weight of grief from my son’s death, I didn’t find much comfort in the idea that he had died as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin. If you’re in the midst of some crisis as you read this, I expect you don’t feel comforted either.
When life brings you to these crossroads, not liking the explanation doesn’t make it less accurate, but the path you choose is crucial to your healing and recovery.
Should you Choose the path of despair, you’ll find yourself focusing on your pain and loss. This path will leave you languishing in your pain as you’re consumed by grief.
Some who take the path of despair never find their way to the other side of grief. They become bitter and shut out Jesus, friends, and family when needed most.
Conversely, there is the path to healing and growth. Yes, I said growth. On this path, you consciously choose to remember that your help comes from the Lord (Psalm 121:1) and fix your eyes on Jesus.
Though the pain is overwhelming, the Holy Spirit will bear it with you when you choose to fix your eyes on Jesus. People who look to God emerge from their struggles or grief sooner, and many find joy and laughter again. Some find that not only have they grown personally, but their relationship with the Father is stronger.
In the aftermath of my son’s death, I wandered the path of despair and hopelessness, struggling years longer than I needed to. Eventually, I found the other side of grief, but only because my wife and others constantly brought me before the Lord.
Several months after my son’s death, a sister at my church lost her daughter in a tragic accident. Sure, she grieved and suffered, but unlike me, she chose to keep her eyes lifted to the Lord instead of focusing on her loss. She moved through her grief to find joy and wholeness years before I did.
Jesus is the only way out of the despair and hopelessness of grief or hardships. Whatever the circumstance, look to Jesus for your help.
The Burden of Wrong Believing
When I was walking out the door that fateful morning, I asked my wife, “Why is God punishing us?” That question indicates my understanding of God’s love, mercy, and grace was tragically flawed in several ways. These wrong beliefs magnified my Grief and struggles.
First, my understanding of grace and forgiveness was wrong. While I believed I was saved by grace through faith, I thought His grace and forgiveness were limited to those sins I’d already confessed and repented for. Why else would my son have died? I must have failed to confess some sin.
My friend, this is one of the devil’s most sinister lies, as it implies that salvation may be lost or that God will punish us with sickness or death should we overlook repenting of sin.
The writer of Hebrews points out that Jesus's sacrifice made those being perfected holy for all time. Unlike the temple, priests sacrifice that only gave temporary forgiveness.
But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:12
Second, my image of God was skewed; I saw Him not as the loving, merciful Father but as an angry Judge waiting for a chance to punish me. As a result, I thought God would punish or discipline me by taking my son’s life.
This is false because all past, present, and future sins were forgiven at the cross!
To grasp how future sins are forgiven, you must understand how Jesus exists outside of time as the creation engine. In John 17:5, we find Jesus praying to the Father, And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:5
Jesus’ prayer here indicates that Jesus and God the Father existed before time as we know it and before the beginning of the world in Genesis. 1 John 1:1 makes the same argument,
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 1 John 1:1
The following excerpt from EnduringWord.com provides an excellent understanding of this concept,
a. That which was from the beginning: The beginning John wrote of is not the beginning of this world; nor is it the beginning of creation. It is the beginning of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1, the beginning before there was anything when all that existed was God.
i. The beginning of Genesis 1:1 is simple: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The beginning of John 1:1 is profound: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John takes us back to this time in eternity past to meet this One, which was from the beginning. EnduringWord.com
All this tells us that when Jesus cried, “It is finished,” from the cross, He had taken upon Himself the punishment for past, present, and future sins and redeemed those who were to become Children of God.
God’s wrath and anger fell on Jesus at the cross, so He is no longer angry with you. He will not punish you for sins Jesus paid for on the cross.
What about discipline? The Greek word used for discipline or chastening is paideia. Typically, paideia is translated as the education or instruction of a child, not as punishment for wrongdoing or sin.
This discipline is used when teaching your toddler not to put their finger in an electrical outlet or pet a porcupine. You’re doing it to protect them, not to punish them.
Again, to believe that God is angry, waiting to punish you, or that He disciplines His children through accidents, sickness, or the death of a loved one is to believe Satan’s lies.
The truth is that Jesus left heaven, took on the form of a fallen man, suffered, and died a criminal’s death on the cross. (Phil. 2:4-8) Why? Not to punish you but to redeem and return you to fellowship with the Father.
Build A Firm Foundation To Stand in Adversity and Trial
If you were to inspect buildings that have stood firm for centuries, you would discover that they have robust and deep foundations built on bedrock. Your faith walk is the same. To stand firm, you must have a solid spiritual foundation. Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders allegorizes this point.
The wise builder dug down and built his house on bedrock, an obvious metaphor for Jesus. When the storms, floods, and winds came, it stood firm. The foolish builder built his house on sand, and when the storms came, its collapse was spectacular.
I’ve known believers who suffered from chronic illness, poverty, near homelessness, and unbelievable family problems. Nonetheless, they still stand tall and preach the word.
When sick, they share Jesus with their caregivers. On their better days, they share their faith and minister to whomever they are. How? Their spiritual foundation is firmly planted in Jesus.
I’ve also seen an example of a foolish builder’s work falling. Years ago, I was fishing for Steelhead one winter. The river was flooding because of the upriver ice dams. As I fished, I began seeing enormous chunks of Ice float by.
I quickly climbed up the bank and watched, mesmerized, as a wall of jagged ice blocks rushed by. In the ice wall’s path was an old concrete block bait shop, which was now on the opposite, lower river bank.
As the ice reached the building, it resisted for seconds until the old bait shop groaned horribly and crumbled, joining the downstream ice flow. Once the ice passed, an empty concrete slab was all that was left of the old bait shop.
Don’t let this happen to you.
Build your faith-walk firmly on Jesus with daily bible reading and study. Make your devotional time a priority in your life. Don’t be a lone wolf. Get planted in a Bible-teaching church, join small groups, and cultivate relationships with like-minded believers as prayer partners for accountability.
In closing, the answer to why bad things happen to God’s Children remains less than satisfactory. That answer, of course, is the fall of Man through Adam and Eve’s sin in Eden.
While it’s true we have been redeemed and forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus, we still live in a broken world with people yet to be healed by knowing Jesus.
God’s Children are not abandoned. The Great Reconciliation has begun and will continue until the Father’s plan is complete. The earth will be restored and descend from Heaven with Jesus and the Father dwelling among His Children.
Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Death, grief, crying, and pain will be no more because the previous things have passed away. … we will not see a temple in the city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:1-4; 22-23 paraphrased)