If God is Love, why does He let bad things happen?

You may have heard people say “If God is Love, why does He let things bad things happen?” Just because bad things happen does not mean God doesn’t love us, it only means that there is a reason, or a purpose for those things. It may be to bring you to your knees, and back to Him. Or it may be that He is bringing someone else to Himself. When things happen, many people – Christians included – question God and ask Him why? Asking God is not wrong, He wants us to ask Him why. If you do ask the question, be prepared for the answer, or even no answer. Recently my best friend died in a tragic accident. We were so close that we actually were like brothers. Yes he was a Christian, so that made us brothers in that respect. I’m talking we were like flesh and blood brothers.

The night I found out I cried my heart out. I even pounded my fists on the wall of my truck and asked God why did this happen. Immediately after I asked the question, I heard “He has a reason”. My spirit immediately prayed “I know Father you have a reason in this, that you allowed this to happen for a reason.” Right away He filled me with His peace. Do I know the reason for this accident, no, but I trust God, and lean on Him for comfort and peace knowing that my friend is with Christ right now! Praise God!

We may not know the reason, and God may not reveal the reason to us immediately, or ever. That is okay, we need to just lean and trust in His ways. Remember what God told Isaiah in Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” What we think God should do or not do will always be different than what He will do or not do.

When God created man, He gave man free will to choose the direction of his/her life. When God placed Adam in the garden of Eden, God told Adam that he could eat of any tree he wanted to, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17. God gave man the choice to obey His Word, or not to. If he didn’t obey His Word, then then are consequences. Unfortunately Adam choose not to obey God’s Word, and he ultimately did die a physical and spiritual death. The result of our fallen nature is that bad things do happen. It is what we do during those times that will cause us to grow in our relationship with Christ Jesus, or will separate us from Christ. We have a choice to make, trust that He has a reason, which is His plan, or question Him, and then blame Him for it.

We should as David said in Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”  David did not tell us to trust Him sometimes, but ALL times! That means in those times when we may asking why did God do this, or allow this to happen. Not only should we place all of our trust in God at all times, we should “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Now Paul wasn’t talking about giving thanks for the situation we are in, or give thanks for the bad or good things that happen. Paul was talking about WHILE we are IN or GOING through those things, we are to give thanks to God.

When we can place our trust in God’s plan no matter what happened or is happening, our faith will increase. This is what God wants, to grow in Him so that we can have a close relationship with Him.

Place your trust in Him and lean on Him for all understanding in those times, and He will give you His peace, not as the world gives, John 14:27.