Have you ever experienced being asked a number of times why God allows not so good things to happen?  Hmmmm …. I have.   Initially, it catches me by surprise, but when I start to look into it again and again, it actually takes me into a deeper thought with more treasures of revelations unveiled.  Indeed, a king’s glory is shown in his ability to explore the facts of the matter of what has been asked for or said.
    

“God conceals the revelation of His word
in the hiding place of His glory.
But the honor of kings is revealed
by how they thoroughly search out
the deeper meaning of all that God says.”  (Proverbs 25:2 TPT)

Apart from Jesus, no one has walked on earth with the full revelation of our Heavenly Father’s ultimate thoughts, ways, plans, purposes and will, let alone the fullness of Who He is.  We only know in part, see in part, declare in part and prophesy in part.  But, the best part of walking in this journey with Him is that He constantly and continuously reveals Himself to us that adds knowledge and revelation deposited into the reservoir of our hearts.  We grow in Him.  What we receive from the unveiled truth of His Word powerfully influences us from the inside and transforms us on the outside beyond measure and beyond comprehension.  It is done by the grace of God through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit Who is the Revealer of all truth.

“Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-12)

The question about why  God allows bad things to happen only arises when we do not know Who He truly is, that He is a GOOD GOD.  Even Jesus said to the one who addressed Him as “Good Master”, “Why do you call Me good? NO ONE is [essentially] good [by nature] except GOD ALONE.”  (Mark 10:18 AMP)   Because God is GOOD ALL THE TIME, then there is nothing that can come out of Him that is contrary to Who He is.  Otherwise, one can simply say, God is good sometimes.  Right? But, praise be to God that He is consistent.  He is reliable.  He is faithful.  “God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”  (Numbers 23:19)  He never changes His mind or play tricks in the shadows. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Our God is GOOD!  Period!

Thanks be to God that “EVERY GIFT God freely gives us is GOOD and PERFECT, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and IS NEVER SUBJECT TO CHANGE.” (James 1:17 TPT)

Bad things happen as a result of the fall in the Garden of Eden.  When the sin of disobedience happened, it brought curse to the world.  God DID NOT curse the earth.  Adam brought the curse upon the earth when he turned his dominion over to satan.  It was Adam’s disobedience that produced people who were subject to the earth and its circumstances.

But God Who is RICH in MERCY and ABOUNDING in LOVE, gave us His only begotten and beloved Son Jesus Christ, that through His Blood shed at the cross, the remission of sins was made possible.  His finished work made us new creations in Christ with His divine nature deposited in us that displaced the sinful nature that we once inherited from Adam.  The last Adam, Jesus Christ, produced new men who sit above the natural realm and the day to day circumstances.

Yes, bad things still happen due to the above mentioned reason, but when we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we became His children, REDEEMED from the curse of the law by Him becoming a curse for us.  He Who knew no sin became sin so that you and I will become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, postured to receive the blessing.

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),  that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14)

We are called to be children and friends of God like Abraham.  We are entitled to the same physical, financial and spiritual blessings that Abraham received.  We enact these blessings by faith.  God makes the promise, we do the believing.  We speak His Word, move the mountain and receive the blessing.

Jesus never said that we will have a trial-free life.  What He promised and guaranteed was for us not to fear for He has triumphed over this corrupt world order.

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]”  (John 16:33 AMPC)

If you are a father, would you allow bad things to happen to your children?  No way!  You will do all that you can to protect them.  How then can we ever think that God Who is our Father allows bad things to happen to His children?  Have you ever pondered on that?  If an earthly father is over protective of his children, HOW MUCH MORE our Heavenly Father does?  Don’t you think so?  “[God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5-6 AMPC).  If this is one of His promises in which He is faithful to fulfill it, does this make you think He allows bad things to happen to His children?

He Who is GOOD is always blamed for the bad things going on around us, that even the calamities written in insurance policies are called “acts of God”, oh well, it used to be.  Hopefully it has been revised by now.

God, our Father, NEVER allows bad things to happen to His children.  This is the assurance that we have in Christ.  He sent us Jesus because He deeply loves you and me.  “He sends forth His word and heals us and rescues us from the pit and destruction” (Psalm 107:20).  How can He heal and rescue if He was the one who sent the pit and destruction at the same time?  Don’t you think it’s odd?  We are to take into consideration that because of sin, the enemy gained a foothold of the earth, hence, Jesus came to deal with our sins once and for all.  He shed His blood so that forgiveness was made available and its benefit is forever.   He not just forgave and washed away our sins but the Word says, “He remembers them NO MORE!”

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember NO MORE.”   (Hebrews 8:12)

“You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them.  As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.” (Psalm 103:12 The Voice)

This is the beauty of the finished work of Jesus Christ and this is the NEW and EVERLASTING COVENANT with better promises.  For us to walk in it, it takes faith to believe what Jesus has done.  It takes faith to receive the forgiveness that He made available for us.  It takes faith to say, “Be it done to me according to Your Word.”  If we do not think the way we are described in God’s Word, being THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST, being GREATLY BLESSED, HIGHLY FAVORED AND DEEPLY LOVED, we will not walk as His Word says.  His resurrection justified us and justification by faith means He sees us just as if we have not sinned. Redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ postures us to walk in the blessings that God has ordained for us to have.  It is the kind of blessing that no one can reverse.

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I CAME that they may HAVE and ENJOY LIFE, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”  (John 10:10 AMPC)

Jesus came to undo, destroy, loosen, and dissolve the works the devil has done.  He came so we can have real and eternal life, more and better life than we ever dreamed of.

“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”  (1 John 3:8 NKJV)

Jesus came to reveal the Father. He only does what He sees the Father doing and speaks what He hears Him speak.  He demonstrated the love of the Father by His absolute obedience up to the point of death, for the joy that was set before Him, seeing you and I fully restored into our Heavenly Father’s embrace.  Yes, Jesus came to restore us who were once lost and is still restoring to this very second whoever believes in Him, until we all become found in Him.  Thus, His birth was the JOY to the world for the Lord has come.

Because no one has fully grasped the truth of the goodness of God, majority still thinks that it is He who authors and allows all the no-so-good things to happen, that these things are meant to purify, prune and discipline us.  But what I desire to point out is that He did not author nor allow them.  It’s just that because of the sin issue, these gained access to our world and now becomes a part of God’s chess pieces that He uses for us to arise and overcome.   Mind you, if trials and hardships make people purified and fruitful, as a result, all of us should be because we all go through.  But you see, this is not the case.  Many resulted into a downward spiral because of these hard challenges.

God gave us HIS WORD as the primary key to overcome, and Jesus’ Name is the Word of God.  He is the Word made flesh and dwelt among us.  Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ which is synonymous to our faith in His Word is what should remain, like gold tested in fire.  Think with me on this, if we face these trials apart from the Word of God, apart from the finished work of Jesus Christ, we can never be victorious over it for it is He Who ALWAYS causes us to triumph.  It is not by might nor by power, but by the Holy Spirit.

“Through our faith, the mighty power of God constantly guards us until our full salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time.  May the thought of this cause you to jump for joy, even though lately you’ve had to put up with the grief of many trials.  But these only reveal the sterling core  of your faith, which is far more valuable than gold that perishes, for even gold is refined by fire. Your authentic faith will result in even more praise, glory, and honor when Jesus the Anointed One is revealed.”  (1 Peter 1:5-7 TPT)

We are all a work in progress.  We somehow came from such mindset at one point.  But as we go from faith to faith, as we grow in the revelation of His Word line upon line, precept upon precept, from glory to glory, it changes and renews our thinking that brings transformation in our lives.  Our confidence rises up to a different level when we come to this knowledge that ONLY and SURELY HIS MERCY AND HIS GOODNESS SHALL PURSUE US ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES, all because we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  It is the kind of righteousness by faith that is established on the finished work of Jesus Christ and not by our self-righteousness.  There will be an increment in how we perceive His trustworthiness and reliability knowing that He always delights in the prosperity of His people because He sees us justified.  It not about our works.    But it is all about what He has done that changed our being and eventually affects our doing.

Yes, we live in a fallen world with storms in our midst, but we no longer point our fingers to the enemy for he is a defeated foe, disarmed, paralyzed and destroyed through the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We do not fight a defeated foe. The Word of God says, we fight a good fight of faith wearing the full armor of God. We fight not to gain victory, but we fight FROM the victory that Jesus has won for us. We have been declared victors and no longer victims, on top and not underneath, the head and not the tail, blessed and no longer cursed. We have been declared sons of God and no longer slaves to sin.  “We seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33 AMPC). We set your minds and keep them on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:2 AMPC).  Instead of reacting to what is being thrown at us, we respond to what is being spoken to us by His Word.

Instead of focusing on the lie that God allows bad things to happen in our lives, why not shift and turn our eyes unto Jesus Who is the author and finisher of our faith. Why not open our hearts and make room for Him to live in and through us. Why not allow Him to bring forth through us God’s promises of redemption and restoration of power and authority that we are no longer subject to the rule of the enemy, but he becomes subject to us?

Jesus’ coming to earth is the antidote to the bad things that came with the curse.  Jesus  is the ANSWER.  Jesus is the REDEMPTIVE SOLUTION. Jesus reversed the curse into blessings.  Once God blesses, who can put an end to it?  His Word says as spoken by Baalam to Balak, “Behold, I have received a command to bless; When HE has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.”  (Numbers 23:20)

When I was meditating on this Word in Numbers 23, my heart burst out with joy at this revelation.  This was about Balak who wanted Balaam to curse Israel.  But when Balaam went into the presence of God and met Him, God put a word in his mouth to be spoken to Balak.

“Rise up, Balak, and hear!  Listen to me, son of Zippor!

God is NOT a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.  Has He said, and will He not do?  or Has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Behold, I HAVE RECEIVED A COMMAND TO BLESS: HE HAS BLESSED, AND I CANNOT REVERSE IT. 

He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor He has seen wickedness in Israel.  The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them.  (Numbers 23:18-21)

If you look into the context of these verses, because God has NOT seen iniquity nor wickedness in Israel, instead God saw their unrighteousness covered because of their annual atonement of sins by the blood of the unblemished lamb, God was up to BLESS them with a blessing that cannot be reversed.  In addition to that, the next verse mentioned that the Lord his God was with him and the shout of a King is among them.

How much more now that it is not the blood of an animal that brought forgiveness to our unrighteousness, but the Blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ?  His precious blood was not shed to cover but to wash away our sins, not yearly, but ONCE AND FOR ALL, and its effect is eternal.   Don’t you think this will permanently set us up into the blessings of God that can never be revoked because He lives inside of us Whose mighty shout and power no one and nothing can come against?

Let us learn to walk in the unforced rhythm of His grace. He will not force Himself to us. Instead, He will reveal to us His goodness and when we see it, it brings us to bend our knees and worship the One Who loves us dearly and deeply.  It is our personal revelation of God’s love that displaces the misconceptions of why He allows bad things to happen in our lives. It is in our intimate relationship with Him that allows us to collaborate with Him that brings blessings that far outweigh the trials that we face. It is our awareness of His presence, His being with us, for us, upon us and in us is what brings fullness of joy in our hearts and the JOY OF THE LORD becomes our strength to endure every eventuality that this fallen world brings.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”  (Jeremiah 31:3)

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, mercy and grace.  Your love always put our hearts to rest that even when we see you contrary to Who You really are, You are always there to reveal to us Your loving patience towards us, because You do not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance and know You.  Thank You, Jesus, that even at the cross, You still cried out to the Father, “Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Such love and compassion pierces our hearts with utmost thanksgiving for all that You have done for us.  Thank You, Holy Spirit, for opening our eyes to see day in and day out what it means to be loved beyond measure and to be blessed forever, without revocation nor cancellation of what God has promised!  Amen!