Daily Devotional for Wednesday April 12, 2000

When Bad Things Happen to God?s People

(Psalms 34:19-20)

One of the questions I am most frequently asked by unbelievers is why terrible things happen to God?s people. One of the questions I am most frequently asked by believers is why terrible things happen to God?s people. There is not a day that goes by that we don?t receive several emails asking this most significant and natural question. I am going to tell you right up front that I have no specific answer, however, I will share with you what I believe the Bible tells us about why bad things happen to God?s people.

The most obvious case study on this subject would have to be the Book of Job. From that great Biblical account, we understand many things. One is that the enemy is actively trying to destroy us. The Bible tells us that it is the goal of satan to kill, steal, and destroy. The interesting aspect is that the enemy was able to do nothing to Job without God?s permission. God had to allow the trials Job would face. That puts us back to our original question . . . why? Again, we can not specifically answer case by case why but we do know many things from scripture. God often allows trials in our life to test us. God often allows trials in our life to draw us closer to Him. God often allows trials in our life to affect people around us. There are many reasons that God allows things to happen to us, and quite honestly, most of the time we will never really understand the reason why. I think the important fact to remember is that in the end God honored Job?s faithfulness and restored to him over and above all he had lost. We must never forget that no matter what we are facing, God loves us, He is on the throne and He is in absolute control.

I realize that many of you are going through some difficult times in your life. I also understand that while we are often the ones who get ourselves in trouble most of the time, that is not always the case. Many of you are incredible men and women of God who have followed the Lord, obeyed, yet still find yourself in a time of trouble. Now is not the time to lose faith or begin to question God. The same God you have faithfully served who has blessed you in the past is the same God who will help you get through whatever the situation is in your life today. He is the same God who will lead you from the valley to the mountaintop. Now is not the time to question God but to praise Him despite the circumstances. Now is the time to say?following the example of Job, ?Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.? These are faith-building moments so know that the God you have put your faith in these many years will never leave you nor forsake you. He loves you and will lead you to victory despite what things may look like in the natural.

I love you and care about you deeply. I realize that there are more questions than answers. As long as we understand some basic truths like God is in control, He loves us, and He will take care of us, we can get through those difficult times in our life when it may look like He has forgotten us. Trust God, today, because He will never forget you and realize that He has a plan and purpose above what we my be able to comprehend. It is by faith you have come to know Christ as your savior and it is by faith that we must live our lives. We must exercise our faith in the good times as well as the difficult times. My prayer for you today is that your faith will sustain you through whatever you are facing and that your faith will enable you to have perfect peace in the midst of the storm.