“Why do bad things happen to good people?” is a question we often ask and wonder about. We pose questions to God like, “Lord, I am devoted to serving you. How is it that bad things still happen to me even more than to those who are not serving you?” The question of why bad things happen to good people is not new, and to better understand it, I spoke with my mom in Ministry, Mommy Esther Kantiok. She shared a story from a prayer meeting where she heard about a lady giving birth to a child and dumping the child in a refuse bin, leaving it there to die.
Upon hearing this, another woman in the Hausa dialect remarked, “It serves God right” for blessing the person who seemingly wasted that child because some people are desperately seeking such blessings, and God refused to grant it to them. In our own reality, we sometimes question life, wondering, “Lord, how can I be this faithful and consistent in my service unto you, and yet you allow me to go through such a bad experience?” In Habakkuk chapter one, God told the children of Judah, “I’m going to do something in your time, and you won’t believe it.”
There are moments when we feel we are even kinder than God, believing we could do better than Him; that’s how Habakkuk felt. Humanly speaking, we may think, “Oh God, if you gave me the authority to rule this world in five minutes, this woman would not be going through this, this man would not be suffering,” because we believe God is silent while allowing the destruction of people who are more righteous than those causing harm.
Brethren, despite the situation, God is in control. 1 Corinthians 1:25-30 says, “The wisdom of God is foolishness to this world.” This statement makes sense when put into perspective, like how Jesus became sin for us so that we, sinners, can become righteous. In Habakkuk 3:1-16, the prophet had a very physical response to the despair he felt, questioning whether he could survive waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled. This is also echoed in Chapter 2:4-20, but the Bible says, “There is no temptation He has given unto us which is not common to man.” For every temptation you go through, it fits your size because God doesn’t give you oversized problems.
Despite what is happening externally around you, God is too faithful to fail. We are encouraged to live by faith and not by sight.
In conclusion, before you begin to question God about what is happening in your life, you may want to look inward and see what kind of person you are. Consider the following:
- Check that you are not living a sinful life because there are consequences for sin.
- Examine the state of your heart and thought patterns.
- Assess whether you are living in obedience to the word of God.
- Evaluate if you have regard and respect for His authority.
As believers, we can ask God questions because He is a compassionate and merciful God, according to Lamentations 3. Our questions should always be asked when we need clarification or when we have a relationship with Him.