Freedom Come Rain

(Why does God allow bad things to happen?) “My brethren,count it all joywhen you fall into various trials,knowing that the testing of your faith producespatience.But let patience haveitsperfect work, that you may beperfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) Count it all joy? Are you crazy? The trouble I’m experiencing in my home; at my workplace; in my finances; in my relationships; with my health—do you really expect me to count it all joy? We take heart in tribulations and ‘crosses’ because we have a faithful High Priest who understands us and is intimately acquainted with our lives. Nothing happens to us without His knowledge or permission. He is the essence of love and goodness, and His character is impeccable. Why then does a good God allow bad things to happen? He is omniscient (all knowing), so couldn’t He see the trouble afar off and prevent it from happening? In the midst of our questions, it is important for us to understand the Father’s heart. First, sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Christ has redeemed us to the Father, but the effects of sin are still rampant in the world today. As a direct consequence of the fall of man, bad things happen. VARIOUS REASONS God allows, not causes, bad things to take place in our lives for varied reasons. He desires to build our relationship with Him, to test our character, to build our faith and trust in Him, and for His name to be glorified. Job, Daniel, and the three Hebrew boys (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were no strangers to trials. They found themselves in difficult circumstances that even threatened their lives in some instances. However, they remained steadfast in their hope in God and He used the trials to deepen their relationships with Him. If we were to take a trip through the pages of the book of Job, we would find a man dearly loved by God who lost almost everything in a short space of time. He lost his wealth and his children, and if that wasn’t bad enough, his friends who should have comforted him blamed him for his misfortune. His health declined, and his wife told him to curse God and die. Job questioned God about the cause of his misfortune but never wavered in his knowledge of God’s goodness. In his questioning and lamentations, Job drew closer to God. At the end of the book, God answered Job’s questions, and Job had a new revelation of God’s awesomeness, nature, and character. Their relationship was deepened as a result of the trials. In addition to deepening our relationship with God, trials test our character. They test the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and bring us to a greater level of spiritual maturity. Daniel’s character was tested when King Darius issued a decree concerning prayer. He faced more than simply being fired from his job; it was a matter of life and death. The choice was simple: pray to King Darius and live, or pray to God and be thrown into a den of lions. Daniel held a high office in the kingdom and likely enjoyed all the perks that came with that. Could he forfeit his high position for the sake of his God? It was just for thirty days; surely God would understand if he prayed to King Darius for just 30 days, right? Daniel did not waver in his character, even in the face of death. He continued to pray to the Father three times a day, as was his custom. God brought a glorious end to a bad situation by saving His faithful servant from the lions. How did Job and Daniel overcome? Their persistent faith helped them to persevere. In a similar way, the three Hebrew boys remind us that faith is a vehicle to get through trials. God uses trials to build our faith and trust in Him. At the threat of death, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego boldly told the king that their God would deliver them from the fiery furnace. However, their faith went even further. They determined that even if God didn’t deliver them from the fiery furnace, they would not bow to any foreign gods. Now that is faith! Could we become so resolute with our trust in God that we have faith in His character even when He allows bad things to happen in our lives? Even when He doesn’t deliver in the way we desire Him to? We must remember that regardless of the troubling situation, God has one ultimate goal: His glory. His name must be glorified above all else. In each of the aforementioned situations, God was glorified when His people remained in faith and trusted His heart, so much so that even the heathen were introduced to the goodness of God. "Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” James 5:11 (NKJV) As Christians, we can rest assured that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Youth S.O.U.L. (Youths Spiritually Operating Under The Lord) is a programme for youth, by youth, and with Jesus. Tune into Youth S.O.U.L. on Fridays at 6 p.m. at 88.5/9 FM. TBC Radio—The Breath of Change. You may also stream via online radio platforms.

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