As Christians we are often told that "if you believe in Jesus everything will be okay." and “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:7-11 and how often have we heard the phrase "And we know 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 We then start believing that if we pray and follow Christ and tithe as we should, and do everything right, that all will be well in the world. Well, believer, from personal experience and from looking at the lives of others, we all know that this isn't true. When everything you do is pure and honest and done with good intentions but the results or consequences of those actions are not congruent with the actions, you begin to ask yourself --- why? Why is this happening to me? Why am I being sent through a living hell on earth? What purpose does this serve? Whose purpose does this serve? Surely God did not intend for this to happen? What am I missing? Even outside the faith you hear things like --- right actions lead to right consequences, but that is not always the case. Even the righteous can face poverty, sickness, job loss, divorce, bad bosses, micromanagers, crushing debt, unfair treatment, and much more. It brings me to the question --- Why do bad things happen to good people? This is an age-old question that many have wrestled with for eternity. Heck, an entire book of the Bible is devoted to the story of Job, who did nothing wrong, but had his entire life turned upside down for no fault of his. Between 2008 and 2019 I myself suffered singleness and loneliness for over a decade all while going to Church, tithing almost $20K every year and being gainfully employed. It was not God's time for me to have another wife. Then a couple years ago I was Blessed in this area of my life, quite unexpectedly. So the answer is obvious that life is not a bed of roses. Consequences are not always congruent to our actions or intentions. Sometimes God's timing is not our timing and there's nothing we can do about this.
So, what are we to do about this? Do we simply abandon the faith and walk away? Do we give up hope and begin to do what is wrong? Absolutely not believer, that is not the answer. The answer is to persist in prayer, to continue to live that righteous life, to continue to believe that good things will eventually be ours in time, if not in this life, then surely in Heaven when we are seated alongside Jesus. To throw in the towel early would be a mistake, even scripture tells us that. "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." Ephesians 6:16-18 and "...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer" Romans 12:12 We are to continue to pray..."Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7 "pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" Galatians 6:9
So, what are we to do about this? Do we simply abandon the faith and walk away? Do we give up hope and begin to do what is wrong? Absolutely not believer, that is not the answer. The answer is to persist in prayer, to continue to live that righteous life, to continue to believe that good things will eventually be ours in time, if not in this life, then surely in Heaven when we are seated alongside Jesus. To throw in the towel early would be a mistake, even scripture tells us that. "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." Ephesians 6:16-18 and "...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer" Romans 12:12 We are to continue to pray..."Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7 "pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" Galatians 6:9
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