3 Reasons Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
Have you ever wondered why something bad has happened to you or someone you know who is a good person? Maybe you have had a loved one die due to an accident or a sickness and you are mad at God for ‘taking’ them.
First of all, to break down why bad things happen I need to address one of the biggest myths about God and that is this; God is in control of everything good and bad.
That statement is totally false. Did you know that God doesn’t always get His way? It’s true. Think about your own life, do you do everything that God wants you to do? The answer is obviously, no. He made us with a free will to make choices on our own. Therefore without being able to control people, God does not have control of everything.
God is a good God. The Bible says that He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His people – which means that He is only to blame for the good in your life. John 10:10 says, “The thief’s (Satan’s) purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
So, why do bad things happen to good people?
1. We live in a fallen world. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they caused a ripple effect of sin and decay. Think about it, everything is in a state of decay. We have to regularly shower or we start to stink. Houses that are left alone immediately start to decay. Everything requires maintenance and upkeep in this world. Sickness and disease is also a result of that fall in the garden. God does not cause sickness; sickness is caused by the world’s state of decay one way or another.
2. Because of the sins, choices or mistakes of others or yourself. There are natural consequences for your actions. A simple example is the choice of what you eat. Healthy choices equal more energy and maintaining a healthy weight. God’s perfect plan for your life is for you to be healthy, but we have the power to choose how healthy we want to be. God may give you quiet warnings to not make bad choices, but He won’t slap that pint of ice cream out of your hands!
Often the choices of other people affect us. No one chooses to be hit by a drunk driver, raped, or shot in a mass shooting, but it happens nonetheless. Does God cause those horrible things to happen? Absolutely not! He is grieved the same as we are when tragedies occur.
3. The Devil. People forget about the role of Satan in this world - if you haven’t noticed, he kind of runs the place. Ever since Adam and Eve gave into temptation, Satan has been able to wreck havoc with the human race. He is the one who caused sickness and disease. If you look at John 10:10, Satan’s only purpose is to steal from humans, kill humans, and destroy humans. That means that Satan causes ANYTHING that steals, kills, and destroys people or things in your life.
Along those lines, God will never use any of the Devil’s tools or tactics to teach anyone anything. It is true that God can help turn things around for good, but He doesn’t cause destructive things to happen in people’s lives.
So, why should we have faith in God if sickness, disease, and tragedies are going to happen anyway? Because of Jesus. The rest of John 10:10 says, “My (Jesus’) purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Jesus’ whole purpose for coming to the earth and dying on the cross was to give you a rich and satisfying life. He provided healing for your sicknesses and a way of victory where there seems to be no way. He will give you peace in the face of any storm and walk with you through hard times.
No matter what the devil tries to throw at you, remember what the end of the Good Book says – you win! If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, it doesn’t matter whether you receive your healing on this earth or in Heaven and any tragedy is but for a moment when measured against all of eternity with God.
One of my favorite verses is Galatians 6:9. It says, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart.” What is it that we reap? We reap a rich and satisfying life!
If life has you down, don’t give up. You have the victory in Jesus!
