Yet Another Year of Choices
By Barbara Dahlgren
Some things that happen in life are not easy to understand. It’s disconcerting when bad things happen to good people and puzzling when good things happen to bad people. This does not seem fair. When life is not fair, it can be a major source of irritation and frustration for most of us, so naturally we look for someone to blame. When we run out of people to blame, we want to blame God.
Some of us are willing to admit that every bad situation is not God’s fault. Sometimes we make poor choices. Sometimes we suffer because of the poor choices of others. And sometimes it’s just time and chance. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) However, many still want to blame God for what He allows to happen. After all, can’t God control everything? Can’t He keep us from screwing up? Can’t He keep someone from screwing us over? Can’t He shield us from every trial of life? Sure He can – but He doesn’t.
Ironically, those people who want to blame God when things go wrong usually aren’t thanking Him when things go right. It’s like we want to take the credit, but we like to give God the blame.
Unfortunately, bad stuff happens. We have all experienced things like financial setbacks, the unexpected death of a loved one, severe health problems, a bad marriage, job loss, drug addiction, and so on. Sometimes God intervenes and sometimes He doesn’t. But just because God doesn’t intervene in every unfair circumstance doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us.
The Bible is full of examples of Christians suffering unfairly. Nowhere does the Bible say life is easy. Joseph was thrown in a pit and sold into slavery. Stephen was martyred. Saul repeatedly tried to kill David. Jeremiah was ignored and abused. Jesus was crucified. The list goes on and on.
Life is hard, but the Christian has something other people don’t have in their hardships – God! God never promised life would be easy, but He did promise to be with us every step of the way. He promised He’d never leave or forsake us. He promised we’d never be alone. He promised His peace, comfort, and strength.
Instead of blaming God, perhaps we could take a different approach. What about trusting God? We can trust God to be with us. We can trust God to do what’s best overall – not just for us. (Romans 8:28) In fact, when those bad things happen is the time we need to hold our faith tightly. We need to trust even more.
The book of Job is a life lesson about bad things happening to good people. Job could be the poster boy for that scenario. Righteous Job lost everything – his health, his family, his fortune. Job was afflicted. Job suffered. When Job tries to make sense out of all of it, he questions God about it. “Why? Why? Why? Haven’t I done everything you wanted? Why are these things happening to me?”
Guess what? God neither explains nor defends what is happening to Job. However, God does answer a more significant question Job failed to ask. Who??? Who laid the foundations of the earth? Who is the Creator? Who has divine wisdom? Who is omnipotent? The list goes on and on. (Job 38-41) Job never finds out why, but he does find out Who – and ends up with more faith, confidence, and trust in God!
Consider this…. God is God. Either we have faith in Him or we don’t. God does not need to explain His actions to us. God does not need to apologize for what He does. God does not need to cower in a corner for not intervening when we thought He should. If the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, do we still bless the Lord? (Job 1:21) We should, because we need to remember who God is. God is love (1 John 4:8) – and He loves us.
One final thought in a poem…
When Is the Time to Trust?
Selected from Streams in the Desert, devotional by L.B. Cowan, July 21
When is the time to trust?
Is it when all is calm,
When waves the victor’s palm,
And life is one glad psalm
Of joy and praise?
No! The time to trust
Is when the waves beat high,
When storm clouds fill the sky,
And prayer is one long cry,
“Oh, help and save!”
When is the time to trust?
Is it when friends are true?
Is it when comforts woo,
And in all we say and do
We meet but praise?
No! The time to trust
Is when we stand alone,
And summer birds have flown,
And every prop is gone,
Only God remains.
When is the time to trust?
Is it when hopes beat high,
When sunshine gilds the sky,
And joy and ecstasy
Fill all the heart?
No! The time to trust
Is when our joy has fled,
When sorrow bows the head,
And all seems cold and dead,
Only God sustains.
