Why do bad things happen to good people? This is a very common question for those who lack faith in God when a horrible event occurs. How can an all loving God let something like this happen? Why does God punish the innocent and not those who are evil and deserve to have bad things happen in their lives?
I am sure that the entire nation has been hearing the tragic news of the events which happened days ago in Tucson, Arizona. The thought that a 22 year old male could walk into a crowd and open fire on people he never knew is baffling. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to all of the families which were affected on that day.
It would be extremely easy to loose faith in the midst of such a horrible event, but these are the times that we must look to God the most. In the Bible, we can find numerous stories of times when, “Bad things happened to good people”. The most classic of all these stories I would think is the story of Job. We are told that Satan went to Heaven and of all the others on the Earth, God choose to use Job as an example of his goodness. God told Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” But Satan accused God that the only reason for this was He had made Job’s life to easy and given him all he needed. So God allowed Satan to do numerous things to test Job’s faith. Job’s entire family died, he lost all of his crops and animals which were his livelihood. God even allowed Job himself to suffer with boils and sores upon his body. While most of us focus solely on Job, we sometimes forget about those around him. Nothing was ever said to justify his family’s deaths. They as well were innocent bystanders used for a great purpose of God.
Another example would be Abel. Yet again we find a man who was upstanding in the ways of God. He was favored by God and he was killed by his brother Cain. Could God have just as easily have stopped this death from happening as he could have stopped Job's troubles? Yes, but He didn’t. Throughout all of time innocent men, women, and children have died for a greater cause. At the time of Jesus, a decree was sent throughout the land to put to death all children under the age of two by King Herod. Because he feared that the Son of God would be born and be a greater man than he was, Herod ordered the slaughter of thousands of children. Likewise, in Exodus 1, Pharaoh ordered that all male children born were to be killed simply because there were to many of them. These are other instances of the slaying of innocents. There are also many other instances throughout the Bible which are too numerous to mention.
As I read these stories out of the Bible, it gives me more comfort while I try and understand how events such as the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the shooting in Tucson, AZ could be allowed to happen. God has a plan for each of us in this world. While we may not know the fullness of this plan or the reasoning behind it, we can rest in knowing God loves us and only wants the best for us. He will never do us wrong in anyway. Yes, sometimes bad things happen which are difficult to explain, but as the old saying goes, “What doesn‘t kill us will only make us stronger”. Just as God did with Job, He will test us each and everyday.
The only thing we are asked to do is to trust Him. Lord, we know You have a plan for us and while we do not always understand Your doing in these things, we trust You. We know that our ways are not Your ways. In the book of Proverbs 3: 5-6 it states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”.
It doesn’t come to much surprise that we are in the end of times when we read Revelation and look at the state the world is in. The last days are those where wickedness will reign over the Earth. Tragic events are happening all around us at a pace never seen before by this world; hurricanes, tornadoes, shootings, floods, tsunamis, starvation, etc…
In today’s world, many people think that the death of an innocent person is always, in every case, evil. If we are to consider God in all of His goodness, glory, and majesty, nothing this awful and terrible could be attributed to Him. Only evil. But there are actually so many different verses in the Bible which show us that the death of innocent is not always an act of bad. In Philippians 1:21-23, Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” The prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 57: 1-2, “The righteous perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness”.
Yes, bad things sometimes happen to good people. We don’t always understand why they do other than each and every one of us were given a great gift in this life. The ability to choose for ourselves. As much as we are given the choice of what good we will do, what church we will attend, and what God we believe in, we are also given the choice of whether we will do that which is evil or not. Because we have been given the freedom to do as we choose, God cannot stop those who are evil from doing what they will. Or how would they be judged later on in the next life?
As I said before, my prayers have been constant for Christina Green as well as everyone who was involved or witnessed what happened on January 8th, 2011. May the Holy Spirit of God come down and rest upon each of these families. In what is surely the roughest time of their lives, I hope and pray that they will receive comfort and strength. God, we ask at this time when such a tragic thing has taken place, that You show all of Your mercy and love on us. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will manifest itself on us in a way that it never has before. We pray dear God, for a blessing unlike any before on those who were affected by what happened on this horrible day. We ask that you comfort them and bless them. Help them understand that all things are done according to You. We know You have a plan for each of us God, and that nothing is done unless you are behind it in some way or another. We know that these good people who were taken from us suddenly are now resting with You in Paradise, that their troubles and sorrows are over. We ask of you, Oh Lord, that we can always remember that. That while we are left here we may know that as bad as this was, those who died have received the greater reward. For we know that they are now with You God, and in a state of never-ending happiness. We pray for the families and for the nation and world that in this time, they may look TO You and not away from You. Again, Lord God, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones. Bless them dear God, comfort them, give them strength enough to handle and move on from this. But at the same time, God, let this be a time of learning for all of us. Let us take what has happened and grow in You from it. Let us come closer to knowing You. We pray for these things in Jesus Holy name, Amen!