I have had the privilege of walking through a very hard time with a dear friend lately. She came to me yesterday with the question, “How does a good God let bad things happen?” At the core of her question was her current situation. What she was experiencing in her life was causing her to doubt and question the goodness of God. But I have to tell you for someone that is always so full of words, I really wasn’t sure what to say. I have been so blessed that I haven’t been in a place to doubt…or have I?
When she came to me, I was so worried for her. My initial response was, I need to “fix” this. But God, in His goodness, let me see that in order for her to grow in her faith, she needed to question and wrestle with Him, just like Jacob did at Peniel (Genesis 32:22-31).
I was so encouraged to know that she still had so much hope; she was just looking for answers. Just like each one of us, she wanted to “feel” God and know that He was there during this stormy time in her life.
The Psalmist describes life’s difficult times as “walking through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). That is not where I want to be. But as a Christian, He doesn’t tell us life will be easy. He does tell us that He will be there with us, and whether we feel Him or not, He will carry us.
Doesn’t it stink when God is quiet? Once you have felt His presence, how do you walk through a day where He feels far away? There have been times when I felt like He wasn’t listening to me or that He had abandoned me. Think of Sarai and Abraham. She prayed for a son for 90 years, and God finally answered her prayer. Or what about the Israelites? They wandered in the desert for 40 years!! Really?? In 40 years will I still be hanging on? Will I wait for Him that long?
Despite our hardships and difficulties, I truly believe that God allows bad things to happen because He uses them for His Glory. He turns bad into good, and that is how we know He is good. Only He can do that.
During my time with my friend, I shared some of my own testimony and how I had already gone through some of the things she was currently experiencing. I had been there too. Never in a million years would I have imagined that my heartache and trials would be used for good, to help another Christian hold on to her hope and trust the Lord. But in that moment, we both knew that our God is an awesome God. He is ever present; He has perfect timing and a perfect plan, even when we can’t see it.
Think of it like a large mosaic. When you are up close, as when you are going through a trial, you only see one little piece of the big picture. All by itself, it isn’t very pretty and doesn’t make very much sense. You can’t make out what it is supposed to be. But, when you step back and are able to see all the pieces of the mosaic with a new perspective, you can see its beauty. You see it with a view from above. You will understand how the artist used every square inch as a whole, bringing it all together to tell a beautiful story. That is so much like the way God works. When we are in our pain, or walking through life, it is so hard to make sense of it. But, as we step back and time passes, we will someday see more of the picture. And eventually, when we are in Glory with our Savior, we will see the big beautiful picture.
That is faith: Trusting in what you can’t see. God is completely trustworthy. He has proven Himself over and over. Most importantly, He sent His Son to earth and allowed Him to die on a cross for us, so that we could be with him forever in heaven. Jesus relates to us and our hardships. We have a God who meets us exactly where we are. I praise Him for that!
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:13-14)
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A good God always lets good things happen – sometimes it’s our perception that a thing is “bad” when it’s really a strengthening test. James 1:2-5 reminds us that tests mature us and help us grow wisdom. So what seems bad has a good result when we lean on God’s strength and support — and that makes it good! So a good God lets good things happen – we just don’t see the good in it till much later.
Betsy, I absolutely love your perspective. I had never thought of it that way!
we must remember that our God is our Father. As any wise parent will do, He uses all circumstances as “teachable moments”. He never abandons us – He has a plan for us. Please remember that we are a part of His story, He is not a bit player in ours. He is faithful.
I heard a commentator on the Christian radio station I was listening to the other day say that when we just don’t hear God speaking to us or when we don’t feel him during those hard times, just remember the teacher is always quiet during the test.
Wow, I love that! What a great way to think of it. Thanks for sharing Sara.
Kelly,
Thank you so much for this post. Over the last year I have come to know just how true this is. Our God is a faithful God and everything He has ever promised has come to pass. The verse you used…Psalm 27:13-14…I say it every day, it’s on my bookmark, it’s what I cling to. I feel privileged and humbled to know that God has allowed these trials in my life because He sees the potential for me to be all He has created me to be. I am excited to see His goodness in the land of the living! Thank you for your obedience to Him. Today He used you to speak to me and that was definitely part of the mosaic. 🙂
Oh, I love hearing that God is using each of us in a special and unique way. I am so glad he spoke to you and thank you so much for your encouragement!
I’ve found the Bible comforts us in telling us that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) So, some of the suffering and pain often is caused by “the wicked One” and the wickedness in the world today. When we suffer due to illness, death of our loved ones, depression, war and injustice, God comforts us with the knowlege that he would not bring those things on us intentionally (Job 34:10) And when we are so distraught and in pain, I love the scripture at 1 Peter 5:7, that he cares for us.
Your reflection on faith during trials using the mosaic analogy is poignant. The notion that our challenges form part of a divine design speaks to the enduring nature of hope and trust in God plan.
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