Life can be very unfair.
An illness or an accident can take the life of someone we love. We might lose a job or a home. Financial investments can fail. So can relationships.
When bad things happen, we can get frustrated and even angry. Sometimes, our anger is directed at God.
We may find ourselves asking hard questions like, “How could a loving God allow this?” or “Where was God when I needed Him most?” We can tie ourselves in knots trying to figure out who is to blame.
The truth is that suffering can come to us because of the sins of other people. It could also be a form of oppression from the enemy or the consequences of our own sin. But often when we suffer, it’s because the world is broken.
When bad things happen, it makes sense to ask questions. And God is not offended by our questions. But over time, if we keep taking those questions to other people and not to God Himself, our questions and doubts can take us far away from Jesus.
Jeremiah cried out to God with hard questions.
“Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (Jeremiah 12:1)
So did David:
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1)
So, if you are struggling, tell God about it. Pour out your pain, frustration, and anger to Him. And here’s a question you might want to ask: God, how will You use this suffering redemptively in my life? What can I learn from this experience that I could not have learned any other way?
At the end of the day the Bible teaches us that deep joy is found as we abide in God’s presence through Jesus. Anything that moves us closer to Him is ultimately for our good.
God can redeem all the bad things that happen in life. He can even use the pain and suffering we experience for our good and for His glory.
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18
“And behold, I am always with you, to the end of the age” Matthew 28:20
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.” Psalm 116:1
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 1 Corinthians 1: 3-4