WHY do bad things happen to good people? WHY would a loving God allow awful tragedies?
I don’t believe anyone can fully answer such questions. But I do know that we live in a world which is suffering the consequences of sin. Way back in the beginning of time, people chose to disobey God and do things their own way. As a result, God said: "...Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,’ Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:17-19).
From that day until now, all of us have made similar choices. We have chosen to leave God out of our lives and to live as we see fit. Then when tragedies occur, we ask, "Why did God allow this?"
Think about it. If God never let anything bad happen, there would be no consequences for our actions, no motivation to do what is right, no reason to turn to God for help. The result would be a world of chaos, where every person "does that which is right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
Also, consider this: If God never let bad things happen to good people, His Son Jesus would never have died for our sins and there would be no hope for forgiveness. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22b). "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Corinthians 15:13, 14).
ANY GOOD NEWS?
To put it very simply, there is BAD news and GOOD news. The bad news is: "We live in a sin-cursed world, where tragedies happen." The good news is: "Jesus came into this world to pay the consequences of our sin. He died so that we could live forever in a perfect, sinless world."
The Good News (Gospel) can be summarized in four statements:
1. God loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
2. We have all sinned and our sin has separated us from God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
3. Jesus died in our place and paid the penalty for sin, which is death. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. If you will repent of your sin and receive Christ into your life by faith, God will forgive your sin and give you the gift of eternal life.
"To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
You can receive Jesus right now by faith. You can pray a simple prayer of faith like this: "Dear God, I repent of my sin and receive Your Son, Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord. I believe He died for my sins and rose from the dead to give me life. On the basis of His death and resurrection, forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. Thank you, In Jesus’ Name, Amen."
TRAGEDY FREE?
Does that mean that once you receive Jesus you will be exempt from all tragedies?
No, but it does mean that you will have someone to go through those tragedies with you.
Psalm 46:1-3 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Verses 10& 11 conclude: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
If Jesus is in your life it also means that you will not have to fear death; because if you die, your soul will go immediately into the presence of your Savior:
"We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).
I don’t believe we’ll ever have all the answers to the question "Why?" until that day when we see Him face-to-face. But as long as we know the answer to the question "Who?" the question "Why?" can wait until then!
I once saw a bumper sticker that read:
"No Jesus, No Peace!
Know Jesus, Know Peace!"
Turn to Jesus today and He will give you a peace that will last forever. Philippians 4:6&7 says, "Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God; and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus."
FEAR NOT?
Don’t be afraid! The things that are happening all around us are SIGNS that Jesus will be coming back soon! In John 14:1-3, Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am."
When He returns, everything that seems to be upside down, He will put right-side up!
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret - it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 37:7-9).
May God bless you with this hope!
~Pastor Jim Westervelt
If you would like further information on "The Gospel" or "The Signs of the Times," please contact us at:
Grace Fellowship
P.O. Box 415
Hamburg, NJ 07419
Or email us at: gracefellowship3@earthlink.net
~CHURCH WEBSITE (new and still in progress):
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/g/graceworship/
