Skip to main content

When Bad Things Happen


         His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
          "Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:2-3) 

          Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (II Corinthians 1:3-4)
          Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.(Hebrews 12:7-8)         
          "Why?" Some people claim that this is a question one should never ask God. Their belief is that "Why?" requires that God justify His actions. They believe that "Why?" is our demand that God explain and justify His decisions and submit to our judgment of His actions.
          The Israelites asked "Why?" often. They asked when they lost battles. They asked when God's judgment fell on them and they didn't understand.  They went to God as we can and should, and asked, "Why?" in search of understanding and so they could respond correctly. They sought wisdom by asking "Why?"
          Often, others assume that the answer to "Why?" is "Karma." We've done something bad, so God is giving us the negative consequences we deserve. If that were God's plan, Christ would never have come. Today's passages give three reasons why bad things happen to good people: 
          1) So that God's work will be displayed,
          2) So that good people can better comfort those to whom bad things happen,
          3) To teach us - because that's what discipline is all about.
        I have to add a word of caution. I do not believe these are the only reasons why God allows suffering in our lives. I also don't believe that is required to operate on a one-to-one ratio, one and only one reason for any one hardship faced. When we face hard challenges, we do need to ask "Why?" We need to make whatever corrections need to be made. This is called "repentance." But God's not foolish. He's not likely to let a bad circumstance go by without bringing good out of it. (Romans 8:28)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more