Why does God let bad things happen in the world? - explore faith According to James 1:17, God also gives good gifts. We must also remember that Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18). No one ever said that life was fair. Amen. With heaven, Gods loving plan for man, in the forefront of our thoughts, would our view of circumstances change? Blog, A And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 2023 BGEA If we needlessly suffer, it shows that we have not been paying attention to the lessons that God wants us to learn from our difficulties (Hebrews 12:3-11). Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. C For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Rather than questioning his love, I seek to align my thoughts and actions with his, knowing everything in my life is a result of his love and his presence, not his disfavor or absence. I'll tell you, when I come across times in my life where life is hard and suffering is a reality, I like to remind myself of what God said through Isaiah 55:9, "for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Will Graham Devotion: 3 Reminders in Your Suffering, Will Graham Devotion: Suffering for Jesus. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. How do you begin to reconcile this? So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Free will means that God doesnt control everything that happens on earth. And with that revelation, my world shifted. We prayed with fervor for his healing. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). God decided to create humans because he wanted to have a relationship with us, to interact with us, to love us, and to hopefully have us love him and love each other. You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen to Good People? - Magis Center And Hes the certainty on which we can secure our hope. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen? We can learn from our mistakes and even . In fact, God desires all people to live in fellowship with Him forever (1 Timothy 2:4). Why Should Teolology Matter to Christians? He gained permission from God to sift Job, figuring loss might cause Job to curse God. Salem Media Group. By Chakell Wardleigh Church Magazines We might not always know why certain things happen, but it can help to remember what we do know. When you are going through your difficulties, remember that We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28). Listed below are five: -Romans 8:28-Psalm 104:28-Psalm 118:29-Romans 12:9- Romans 12:21. Remember: God knows what it's like to suffer, because His Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died on the cross for us. Which is why I suffer as I do. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. I gulped then muttered something about a fallen world, that life will never be perfect on earth regardless of whether were good, bad, or somewhere in between. It all a gift from God, and we think about this gift. Verse 19, for a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. Another way of saying this is in a one-liner I often use . O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. I wondered why hard things happened when a loving God was supposedly in control. God used their pain to reveal His glory, charging us with courage for our own journey. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faithmore precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by firemay be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So yeah, do tough things happen in people's lives? All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.. And then the very next sentence says, "the Lord might give the bread of adversity and the water of affliction." Tragedy in itself is never good. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. Job in the Old Testament asked the same question after he lost everything he had, including his health. The good news is, even when we do bad things, God still loves us and He refuses to give up on us. Dont be angry at God, or think He has abandoned you because He hasnt. We always go to John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He sent his only begotten son. You know, sin brings death. In each of these situations, guilty and innocent people suffered due to one persons sinful choice. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. And the truth is not in us." Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering? - Christianity Today Since I cant answer this question for every specific situation, I am going to answer it in a broader sense. For example, Mark 12:28-31 says this: Mark 12:28-31 (ESV)And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, Which commandment is the most important of all? Jesus answered, The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. He says, "what can I say? I think back to my friend and his wife. In this episode, you'll . Sins affect the world around us and cause bad things to happen. For the Bible tells me so. With reassurances everywhere, we must reframe our question, instead asking, Because God loves me, then why did this happen?. God doesnt love your suffering. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In fact, it was because of that sin that, for the first time ever, an animal had to die in order to make clothes for Adam and Eve. And we've all contributed to the world's sin problem. At first glance, our Saviors death on the cross seems a travestyan innocent man wrongly accused and put to death. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is . O For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Anne Graham Lotz: What Impossible Situation Are You Facing? Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, I was convinced that a good God couldnt love me and watch me suffer. It tells us that God knows what were going through, and He loves us and wants to help us. I find that as encouraging. Satans temptation of Jesus began with the words If you are the Son of God (Matthew 4:3). KCMI 97.1 FM Terrytown, Scottsbluff and Gering, Nebraska; and 99.1 FM on our translator in Rushville, Nebraska. Bad things happen to good people, and there doesnt seem to be anything anyone can do about it. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? But God does not cause "bad" things to happen. What we encounter in the midst of the storm isnt the end. Click here for more things written by Amanda Hovseth. And so I think we have to keep the right perspective here. Romans 8:28 tells us, "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love [Him]." Because God is often able to use those situations for good to teach and correct man, some have wrongly credited Him for the harassment. While the devastation of such loss will often remain with us, Jobs life testifies beautifully that truly God is with us. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. Because basically the question is saying, "well, if I as a parent would step in and would make sure my children don't endure suffering, then if God is a loving father, then He should do what I think I would do if it were me." And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. We have to think about heaven, you know, and we have to keep in mind that God doesn't owe us anything here on Earth. J Michael Coren W e've all heard it numerous times: "Why would. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? | Christian Bible Studies The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. If He truly loves us, why would He allow pain and suffering in our lives? Life may be painful, but without pain we wouldnt be able to have good things like love. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Don't be angry at God, or think He has abandoned you because He hasn't. God loves you and wants to come into your life and give . Why Did This Happen? Then hold tightly to His promise: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). For additional thought-provoking pieces on heaven, consider the ones listed below. As a polio survivor from infancy, I had multiple surgeries each year, living in and out of the hospital. (Luke 8)-A little girl died due to illness. This BibleStudyTools.com piece contains these promise-filled verses and many more. But what does the Bible say? It's not of us. The disciples asked whose sin caused the condition. It is all around us and has corrupted everything on earth. K Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. In the meantime, God continues to give us the freedom to make our own choices. Geocoding It doesn't matter if we go to church every week, it doesn't matter if we give our life savings to all the charities to feed people. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. The next verse, verse 20, "and though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher." Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. )-Psalm 25 (All are shameless who hope in the LORD. Yet, He also knew that He could fix the problem if He was willing to die on the cross to pay for our sins. But in my mind, it's the better answer than any other answer out there. It is asked in sorrow when we look upon a village ravaged by war and famine. His children died also. If there was no possibility of making bad choices, then there would be no need for free will. And so we face these struggles. To deepen our faith and draw us closer to him. Yes, he's hurting. S 21:4 (Hell wipe away every tear.). So where was God, without the ward and tepid explanations Christians give? As he sat in tremendous pain, his wife encouraged him to curse God. Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen? - Saint John the Evangelist June 30, 2020 No Comments Given the events of the last several months, so many people are falling into despair. H document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.. God's love for me, for each and all of us, is not based on my or our performance (Thanks be to God), but on the revealed nature of the heart of God. Your brain believes that its programming and its thoughts are just facts. Each day we must remember, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. -(James 1:12). Written By Douglass M. Bailey. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. Sometimes those choices result in pain and suffering. This oft-repeated question says nothing about God, but everything about human beings. Romans 8:28 says, "All things work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to his purpose." Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. It seems to say more than just God being on our side, but that God is wanting our good. And yet, the fact of the matter is, God thinks differently than we do. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. How should we react when we experience physical and mental pain? So Father, those who are suffering right now and wondering where you are, remind them you are right there with them in their suffering just as you were right there with your own son when He suffered for us on the cross. As soon as you cry, I'll hear, I'll answer." You know, in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter about these faithful people, you know, and early on we read about Adam and Abel and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Sarah, and all these through Joseph and Moses. And when I think about this horrible thing that happened to this woman, the blood of this woman is not on God's hands. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. We all are contributing to the situation that we live in, and the bad things are happening on this earth because we're all sinners. Our sin takes our peace away. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. We can find consolation when we suffer because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? His answer was simple and direct: that the works of God might be displayed (John 9:3). For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. I have children, and I don't have any power like God, and even I would've acted to protect my kids. Help My Unbelief!" Bad choices sometimes lead to sinwhich is the ultimate cause of all human suffering. Most "bad" things which happen do so because God gives a radical freedom to God's people; we are free people, not puppets on a string. I wondered why hard things happened when a loving God was supposedly in control. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrownot even the powers of hell can separate us from Gods love. Not as the world gives do I give to you. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. But then it says, "some were tortured, refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a better life. When We Ask God, "Why Do Bad things Happen to Good People?" Assumption 2: an all loving God does exist. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. Why Does God's Creation Include Death and Suffering? When bad things happen, He is always working to bend those events towards healing, peace and growth. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? - Topical Studies George Matheson discovered that God's love is unending and so can you. But on the other side of the page, he says, "assumption 1: an all powerful God does exist. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. She contributes regularly at iBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com and is published in various print and online publications. As a result, life on earth isnt perfect. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me (Psalm 23:4). But when I was 16, God in his mercy answered that lifelong question through John 9. Time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the power of fire, escape the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Perhaps we could view it this way. Since I can't answer this question for every specific situation, I am going to answer it in a broader sense. What I mean by that is it can have specific answers when it comes to different situations in each person's life. We must never forget that God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1). You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. )-1 John 4:19 (He first loved us. In fact, in Isaiah 30:19, 20, we find both sides of this. This is because in order for love to be real and to mean anything, we have to have the ability to choose not to love. We sinned ourselves, and there is judgment and there's consequences for that. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Kristi Woodsis a writer and speaker but mostly a Jesus girl. And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. Because God loves me. I dont relish the fact that they faced such a horrific situation, but I praise God that they trusted Him through it. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. He does not just want us not to be defeated, He wants far more for us. John, a believer in Jesus Christ, received a vision of heaven and was instructed to write down what he saw. It is never easy to deal with bad things happening, but when they do, God is here for you, dont be afraid to turn to Him to ask for help to give you the strength you need to make it through the bad things. 5 Questions about Heaven Billy Graham Answered, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); As we continue to spread love and positivity, we believe that sharing prayers is one of the best ways to do it. And as we rejoice in him even through pain, God is glorified. Does God Love You Less Because Your Marriage Is Bad? - Flying Free She went to heaven forever to be with Christ in the Father's house. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. As the life storm continued, friends came to Jobs side. Our Father invites us to commune with Him in heaven through belief in Jesus. Romans 8:35-39 (NLT) Can anything ever separate us from Christs love? Rather than insisting that God answer me, I can instead ask myself: What is God doing in my suffering? Topics: Suffering. He loves you. After they and others prayed for months and believed this was God's leading, within three months of the plant, his wife was murdered leaving him as a single parent. There was no "survival of the fittest.". The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.-James 5:11). If god is real and loves us why does he allow suffering? And He allows bad things to happen in order to teach us valuable lessons. This is why bad things happen. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. Further, and more problematic He doesn't act on my behalf or others when He could. For instance, in John 9, Jesus and His disciples encountered a blind man. Judaism teaches that there are three possible reasons: it's a test from God, it's a punishment for sin, or it's a result of the bad things we do in this lifetime. Perhaps you have had to live with a physical defect, experience the loss of a loved one, or go through the divorce of your parents? Animals did not prey on each other, and the first two humans, Adam and Eve, did not kill animals for food. If God Loves Us Why Do Bad Things Happen? Here's Why - AmoSii And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Pastor Brad, tell me what's going through your head right now. And when we think about us saying, "I've never caused any of this. She's got the best of the best. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. And hope does not put us to shame.- (Romans 5:3-5). When God brings trials into your life, dont question his love or turn away. G And hope does not put us to shame.- (Romans 5:3-5). Why does God let bad things happen to good people? How can God love us when we consistently fail to follow His Word? Bad things happen because we, as people, cause them to happen. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Job wisely refused, denying sin its power. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. So, despite knowing He would have to suffer and die for us, He still chose to create us. He uses our pain to shape us into the people that He wants us to be. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. Why might God let bad things happen? "God, Why Do Bad Things Happen?" - jess leigh hanna Some are caused by bad luck, some are caused by bad people, and some are simply an inevitable consequence of our being human and being mortal, living in a world of inflexible natural laws. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Contact Us. A disciple named Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 coins then ended his life due to the guilt. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. I mean, think about that, Gary. We must remember that the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. And like any road we travel, we can only see a short distance ahead of us. But then, Satan struck Job a second time. Gideon asked the question thousands of years ago, and we have been asking it ever since. He endured for people like us, so that we will have hope. And that protection cannot be taken away from us. But not all hardships rise from transgressions. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.. All rights reserved. Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. But in his grace, God can take tragedy and hardship and use them for his glory. God had the same decision when he created the earth. )-John 3:16 (God loves the world.)-Rev. Ask yourself some questions to see if you can get your brain to let go a bit. He endured the suffering, clinging to God. It's gonna be eradicated completely. Satan tempts us in the same way. of Every trial you endure has passed through Gods loving hands. Dont give up hope when you are in the midst of your difficulties. -Noah endured a flood and loss of those surrounding him. I flew airplanes with and ministered alongside of, who had two teenage sons killed in an automobile accident. The Israelites were disheartened by the Midianites continual oppression. When Satan tempts us to question Gods character, we must stand firmly on the truth of Scripture. The miracle of the man regaining his sighthis lifedisplayed Gods magnificent work.
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