Why, Lord?

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4, NKJV)

Not long ago, a friend asked me a difficult question. It may be a question you have been asked or one that you have asked. My friend, who has served God all her life, is experiencing long-term difficulties because of an accident. In her frustration, she asked, “If God saw this was going to happen, why didn’t He stop it?”

Have you ever thought something similar? I think most of us have at some point. Even Mary and Martha, who were close friends of Jesus, became distraught when He didn’t show up for them in their time of need. When He did come—four days too late in their opinion—they bluntly accused the Lord, “If You had been here, our brother would not have died.” (Read John 11.)

Yes, God is all-powerful. He could if He would, we say. So why does the Lord allow bad things to happen to those He loves and who faithfully serve Him? That’s the age-old question of, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

We all have our own story of a time when God didn’t show up like we thought He should. Or did He? Do we ever see the whole picture? Mary and Martha didn’t. Blinded by grief, they did not realize Lazarus died “that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Some think bad things happen because of sin in a person’s life. We see this in John 9 when Jesus met a man who had been blind since birth. The disciples asked who had sinned, the man or his parents. Jesus answered neither. Instead, it was “that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

Whether we are willing to admit it, sometimes bad things happen to us because of the poor decisions we make. Perhaps we ignored the wise counsel of an elder or deliberately chose to go against biblical teachings. Why are we then surprised when we reap the consequences of our actions?

God may use our disappointments and struggles to teach us to trust Him in an even greater way. Trials will stretch our faith and teach us to lean into Jesus for our strength.

Because of the difficult things we have endured, God often allows us to use those bad experiences to minister to others in a similar situation.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (II Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV)

While God may not always reveal the reasons for our sufferings, He does understand our pain. He willingly came to earth and took on the form of man. He faced the same temptations. He was misunderstood and scorned. He was betrayed by one disciple and abandoned by the others. He endured grief, heartache, and pain. He understands what we feel because He experienced the same things we do.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

I am not a theologian, nor do I have all the answers about suffering. But what I do know is this: God is good all the time. I can trust Him to keep His promises. I know He loved me enough to die in my place. When I go through hard time in life, it comforts me to know He understands. Because of this, I will view my trials through an eternal perspective. Our struggles here will seem so insignificant over there.

Thank You, Lord, that I can lean on You during the tough times. You’ve been there and endured even harder things. I cannot grasp the pain and agony You endured so that I might have eternal life. Thank You for loving me as only You can love!