“And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” -Job 1:12
You don’t need to look far to realize that this world is imperfect, unjust, and abounding in wickedness. It is full of suffering and sin. So, if a good God is in charge, then why does God allow bad things to happen?
The book of Job is a prime example of God not only allowing bad things to happen but recommending it. Volunteering Job as a target of Satan’s devices, saying: “hast thou considered my servant Job.” The first chapter of Job catalogs Satan’s destruction on Job’s life once God gave him leave. In seven verses Job’s oxen are slain, his sheep are burned, and a house falls on all his children, killing them. Dreadful, awful, and terrible things befall perfect and upright Job. Bad things happen, they happen because we live in an imperfect world, full of sin and ruled (in a certain capacity) by Satan. If God were to totally lift His grace and favor from this earth and leave it to Satan, we would all be destroyed. If everyone were to repent and receive the Holy Spirit, the evil of the world would be destroyed. The inward evil would be eradicated from the human heart, and therefore from the world itself. Man sins against God, but he also sins against man. If everyone was sanctified a great many lawyers, policemen, and prison guards would be laid off. The world’s military would be drastically reduced. Security companies would go out of business, along with the drug dealers, prostitutes, gambling houses, liquor stores, and multitudes of sinful industries propped up by sinful desires. Bad things happen, because Satan is evil, man is unredeemed, and God lovingly gives us free will. However, some things are bad, but not sinful. Hurricanes level houses, children still-born, diseases that plague millions, etc. These bad things happen, and God allows it. Why? First and foremost, he is God (“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment.”-Job 9:32). Providence and judgment rest with Him and Him alone. The scripture says his judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out (Romans 11:33). When we measure him on the scales of our human understanding and seek to reason with Him as though He is our equal, we commit a terrible error. God is not our equal but our Creator. Furthermore, it’s not just a matter of “we don’t have enough information, so we have faith.” But rather, “we don’t have enough capacity to comprehend, there is only faith.” The judgments of God are waters too wide and too deep for any of us to swim in. Furthermore, the book of Job shows us that bad things do happen, and God allows it, because suffering teaches obedience, and obedience brings growth. We see the evidence all around us. The muscle strengthens through use, the plant grows through pruning, children learn through failure. Suffering is a far better teacher than surfeiting. In our pleasure mad world these words are like nails on a chalkboard. Yet the scripture proves that God’s people will be a people who suffer (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus left us an example of yielding to the Father, even when it meant a path of suffering. He did this, so that God would be glorified. We follow Christ’s example. Job sat on an ash heap and scratched while contending with the foolishness of his “friends”. Only to hear a word from the Lord and learn that God is in control, and through Him and Him alone is wisdom and redemption. This message he brought to his “friends.” Herein, we find another reason why God allows bad things to happen, because there is no ministry quite like the ministry of suffering. Suffering brings us closer to God, and it magnifies God in a way little else can. It’s easy to bless the Lord when your barns and bellies are full; but when your life's on the line, or in duress. When serving the Lord is costing you dearly; what is your testimony then? Every testimony has a testing time. Anyone can look like a sailor when the boat is tied to the dock, but when you’re out on the open seas, with wind and waves crashing all around; that is the test of seamanship. God will prove his people, for our benefit, and His glory. I have often thought when Job said: “Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!” (Job 19:23) Little did he know they would be! Little did he know that generations would read of his struggle and find strength, instructions, and fear of the Lord! His ministry of suffering would call out to others to keep the faith and join in the cause. The same cause our Savior took up, to bring glory to God, and a testimony of victory! A testimony that regardless of circumstances we can keep true and bless the God who knows it all! This is the faith of men and women that shook the world for Christ, and it still stands today as a beacon of hope to those who are looking for hope and redemption in this world.
My prayer today is Lord, may you help us to desire God in His entirety. Accepting His providence, no matter what. That our speech may turn from “Why” to “When”. When bad things happen, when God allows them to happen, when we suffer. When that happens, we will meet it with a heart of faith and sing out of the darkness: “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him. How I proved him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus. Oh, for Grace to trust him more.”
