Why do bad things happen to me and my family? I thought God was on my side.
Let’s start with the second thought first. If you have invited Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord, then yes God is on your side! His promise to you is the same made to Joshua, the man selected to lead the Israelites into the promised land (Deut. 31:8). God Will never leave you or forsake you no matter what. That includes trials, pain, hurts, betrayals and anything else.
Unfortunately, the reality is evil exists and we live in a fallen world; a world that is stained by sin and by every person’s natural sin nature. As a result, bad things happen and good people, even Christians, can get hurt emotionally or physically or even killed as a result. Many times life’s trials drive us to cry out to God seeking answers. That is okay. Remember, however, God does not owe us answers. He wants us to trust him knowing that, in spite of our hurt, God loves us and cares for us. God often does allow suffering in this life so we can grow stronger, trust him more and often help others who are hurting.
In this life we will often suffer from self-inflicted wounds because we have free will. There are consequences to choices in life for example:
A person needs to know what the Bible says about God’s rules for proper and meaningful living. The Bible is God’s operations manual for Life on earth. It is Best Inspected Before Leaving Earth. In other words, know it’s content well and don’t leave home without it. Remember, your enemy, as a Christian, is the devil who wants you to doubt God and his word and not trust him.
Also remember this. God loves us and will see us through our sufferings and trials. Trials will develop perseverance, which will develop our character and our character will lead to hope for the present world and the world to come. (Romans 5:8) (James 1:3) These qualities will over time lead to a strong mature faith in an all Sovereign, all Powerful and Loving God; a faith that will sustain you through life and into eternity.
Finally, remember that Christ died for our sins while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8) to save us from the worst consequences imaginable, eternal damnation, eternal separation from God and eternal suffering–hell. That is how much God loves those who trust in his son, Jesus Christ. It does not get any better than that.
Image by Małgorzata Tomczak from Pixabay
Answers to Life’s Greatest Questions is provided by Living Dialog Ministries. Visit our website at LivingDialog.org where you’ll see the wide range of books and booklets to help you go deeper in the study of God’s Word.
