We are not capable of seeing or understanding what God knows.

I’m not gonna lie. There are some books of the Bible I would prefer to skip. Like Job for example. Here is a man that was blameless and upright. He loved the Lord, and the Lord favored him, but Satan argued that Job was only faithful to God because of his good favor. God, on the other hand, said that was not the case, and Job would love Him no matter what. Satan tested Job by taking away everything he had and loved on this earth. His sheep and children were killed and he was distressed with skin sores. While others told him to denounce God, some accused Job of doing wrong, therefore he was being punished. While Job questioned what had happened, he never questioned God’s promises.

This book in the Bible is so unsettling because we, as people, try to understand why God allows evil, and why bad things happen to good people.

I’ve tried researching this several times. Habakkuk is another book in the Old Testament that addresses violence and why God permits it.

We know He has the power to keep bad things from happening, so why does He allow them to happen?

And the question in today’s devotion, chapter 8 asks, “Is God good when life isn’t.”

We want to make deals with God. “If You do this, I’ll do this.” We want to believe that if we do what God wants, He will fulfill our desires. But the cold hard truth is, bad things happen, even to good, God loving people.

So what are the bullet points in today’s devotion.

Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.

• What we define as good, may not be the same definition God uses. While we look at the present time and consider things like health, finances, and death, God looks at a greater good of His glory and salvation.
  
• While evil works to change our circumstances, God uses it to change us. His motives are to make us more Christ like.
  
• Our minds are not capable of seeing and knowing what God sees and knows. Our math doesn’t add up the way His does. His clock runs at a different speed than ours. Our lives on this earth are a mere millisecond compared to our eternity with Him.
  
• “What is coming will make sense of what is happening now. Let God finish His work.”

So what should we do when bad things happen.

Just know that God is good. Always. We may not like that something has happened. We may feel it is unjust. We may want to make sense of it. Even the Lord’s disciples encountered these thoughts and feelings. But the Bible tells us over and over, He will use it for the Better good. He promises that the pain is temporary for all believers. The problem really isn’t what we see at hand. The problem is our limited perspective. If we could see what God sees, we would know the purpose. We are reminded that we first need the rain, to see the rainbow.

Prayer

Lord, forgive me, but I just don’t like “this policy”. I am reminded of when I was a child and my mom would give me a rule that I didn’t like or understand. “Put your bike away before you come in.” “No snacks until after dinner.” It wasn’t until I experienced life and saw what happens when metal is left in the rain, or being too full on junk food to eat my veggies that I realized my folks knew what was best. Lord, help me to trust that You are the Heavenly Father that knows best. I pray that when I encounter pain, I have faith that You are still good. I want to know that You are good always. I pray, Lord, for my friends and family that know real pain. Pain of losing a child. Pain of financial troubles. Pain from poor health and repeated treatments. Lord, please comfort these loved ones so they feel your goodness even when they can’t see or understand it. Thank you for the promise that You will use these storms for a better good, and that they are only temporary. In Jesus name, Amen.