Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

This is perhaps one of the most popular questions/criticisms raised against belief in God. It is hard for all of us when we see “innocent” or “good” people suffer and die. They deserved better.

When a man named Job found out that all of his children had been killed after a violent wind caused his house to collapse, he mourned. No doubt the question “Why, God?” had crossed Job’s mind. But his prayer to the Lord following this family tragedy is most interesting, and it holds some of the keys to understanding how to deal with hardship: “‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:21-22).

There are a few things we can learn here. First, we came into this world with nothing, and we’ll leave with nothing (1 Timothy 6:7). God put us on earth to serve Him. Our lives belong to God from beginning to end. Anyone who thinks differently is only living a selfish lie.

How God fulfills His purpose in our lives is up to Him. Job understood this, even though he was grieving over what the Lord took away. Most of God’s purposes and plans will not be understood until they are revealed at the End of the Age. So, we must rest in this fact when events happen that result in what appears to us to be unfair hardship or untimely death.

Second, Job didn’t blame God. He knew better. Through his pain and grief he knew that God’s ways were higher than his ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). He knew God was incapable of wrongdoing.

This is still a difficult pill to swallow when hardship happens. My wife has struggled with chronic and debilitating illness for over a decade, and no treatment to date has been successful. Physicians have mainly just been focusing on lessening the severity of symptoms instead of looking for the root cause(s). We still trust in God’s sovereignty, even though we’d prefer a healthier path for her.

Third, we live in a fallen and sinful world where bad things happen to both “good” and “bad” people. Jesus warned us that our lives would be filled with trouble (John 16:33). It is therefore somewhat futile to try to figure out the answer to a “why” question. We may not be able to distinguish whether God is bringing judgment, or if something bad is happening because we live in a lost and dying world. So don’t try to figure out how the omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (in all places in all times) God works.

Have you struggled with this issue of why? As a Christian, the key is to have faith that God has a master plan He is intricately weaving throughout history. Find peace in the fact that He doesn’t desire that anyone should die without believing in Him (2 Peter 3:9). And one day when we who believe are with Him forever, we will see and understand why He chose and acted and judged the way He did.

Remember that life wasn’t supposed to be this way; God never meant for man to experience pain and die. Adam and Eve were to live forever. God gave man and woman the ability to choose, so that they would have free will. Unfortunately, they (and we) chose sin, and that sin is present in each of our hearts. As a result, God told Adam and Eve “for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19, Ecclesiastes 3:20).

We live in a fallen and rebellious world that is constantly at war with itself and with its Creator, and constantly under the influence of evil (Satan). There will be casualties, many “evil” and many “innocent.”

However, it is important to remember that there are no innocent people. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” As much as we wish it weren’t true, everything in creation – from the greatest to the least – fails to measure up to God’s standard. Romans 8:22 also tells us that all of “creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Life is just going to be uncomfortable and difficult.

So, trust God as Job did. “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15). Restoration will come in this life or the next. Pray for God’s will to be done on this earth and in your life. Ask Him to give you peace and protection in times of trouble. Pray for those suffering. Pray for God to return soon, so that His throne may be established forever and hardship will come to an end. Most importantly, pray that those around you will give their lives to God so they won’t be asking the ultimate “Why, God?” for all of eternity.