Why God Allows Us To Go Through Bad Things

Look closely at the title of this blog ... "Why God Allows Us To Go Through Bad Things." The operative word here is ALLOW(S). Have you ever murmured to yourself why you believe God not only put you through a particularly tragic situation but that He's the one that authored it? Do you honestly believe God is the source of the hardships, failures, and or catastrophes in your life? Do you think He's being unfair to put you through that? I'm assuming then you might also believe God "did it" to you? Maybe you've never asked why our world is infected with pain and suffering, but my guess is you will when they strike you or a loved one with full force. It's important to realize that though God MAY ALLOW a tragedy to take place in our lives without intervening, He is never the author of that tragedy! God is not the creator of evil and suffering. He will never set up traps to hurt or bring misery upon us. Take the example of Job who lost all of his animals, all of his servants, every sons and daughter were killed, and he was afflicted with sores all over his body, etc. but not once did he blame God or lose faith. The Bible tells us the author of all of Job's woes was Satan. In fact, Satan came to God for permission to bring misery upon Job. Satan told God that if he could do these things to Job, Job would curse God. God disagreed. To prove the righteousness of Job, God ALLOWED Satan to "test" Job. I say 'test' because we can be tested in like manner as well. Do you ever question why you are or have suffered a long-term illness, suffered over the loss of a child, lost all your material goods in a house fire, or have seen your loved one murdered? ALL THESE THINGS CAN BE A TEST by Satan to see if we will stand with God to the end. Believe it or not, all these things, all these tests, can serve a great purpose.

Though suffering isn't good, God can use it to accomplish good. In Romans 8:28 the Bible promises, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose." Notice the verse never mentions God causes evil and suffering, just that He promises to cause good to emerge TO THOSE THAT LOVE HIM. Neither does the verse say we will see this good (outcome) immediately or even in this life how God will cause good to emerge from a bad circumstance. Maybe something we've suffered or are suffering has influenced a complete stranger and will be used to change that person after we have left this earth. Remember, we only see things dimly in this world (1 Corinthians 13:12). We don't know all things as God does! Important to keep in mind is, God doesn't make this promise to everyone. He makes the solemn pledge that He will take the bad circumstances that befall us and cause good to emerge if we're committed to following Him. Some might say, "No, He can't bring good out of my circumstance. The harm was too great, the damage was too extreme, the depth of my suffering has been too much." If you doubt God's promise, know that He took the very worst thing that has ever happened in the history of mankind - dying on the cross - and turned it into the very best thing that has happened in the history of the universe! Which was the opening up of heaven to all who follow Him! If God can take the very worst circumstance imaginable and turn it into the very best situation possible, can He not take the negative circumstances of your life and create something good from them?

God isn't some distant, detached, and disinterested deity; He entered into our world - the body of Jesus - and personally experienced our pain on all levels. Jesus is absolutely there in the lowest places of our lives. Are you broken? He was broken, like bread, for us. Are you despised? He was despised and rejected of men. Do you cry out that you can't take any more? He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Did someone betray you? He was sold out. Are your most tender relationships broken? He loved and He was rejected. Did people turn from you? They hid their faces from Him as if he were a leper. Does He descend into all of our hells? Yes, He does. Every tear we shed becomes His tear. Listen closely ... every tragedy, every disappointment, every heartache, every disaster or drama we face are all "ingredients" God can use and does use to work out for our own good through growth, maturity, and change. When we've gone through it all, we rise to a better place and a better person. From glory to glory we learn, mature, and change to be more like Him in thought, word, and actions.

Consider this illustration to better understand how "bad things" can actually be good things for us. Grandma was baking her grandson a cake. She asked her grandson if he would like a piece of the cake after it was finished, and of course, he did. She then replied, “Here, have some cooking oil.” “Yuck,” said her grandson. “How about a couple of raw eggs then?” “Gross, Grandma!” “Would you like some flour then — or maybe some baking soda?” Her grandson replied, “Grandma, these things are all yucky!” The Grandma replied, “Yes, all these things seem bad in and of themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake.” God works in exactly the same way! He knows that when He considers the things we've been through and puts all of them in His order, they always work together for good! (Romans 8:28). Rejoice then, that we can be a part of the finished product! (Hebrews 12:1-10; Psalm 119:75).
Until next time,
-Pat-