Read (from the New Living Translation)
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”
John 9:1-3
Go Deep
To start us off, Wally from The Wally Show shares how this question kept him from following God for a long time. He shares how he wrestled with it and the powerful conclusion he came to.
One of the biggest questions that holds people back in their faith is, “If God is good, why do bad things happen to good people?”
Truth be told, this very question kept me estranged from God for many years. What is so interesting about this question is, in addition to the question of suffering, it also includes our sense of justice. Why do bad things happen to good people? In our minds we can almost justify or wrap our heads around bad things happening to bad people. However, the reality is, God loves us all the same and does not make any distinction between good or bad people with regard to both blessing and suffering.
Matthew 5:45 says, “For He gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” So where does that leave us? The question is still out there, and the truth is I don’t have a definitive answer. While I was wrestling with this question I had a pastor tell me, “People suffer so that God can be glorified.” I took a minute to process this and then exclaimed, “Are you kidding me, what kind of narcissist would intentionally cause people to suffer just so He could receive praise?”
Enter 6 more months of me not following God.
In order for me to move forward with my faith, I had to somehow resolve this question in my head. It is a fact: innocent people suffer and perish. Scripture is full of examples of men and women who suffered unjustly and were innocent of any wrongdoing. Remember, the Bible says good and bad things happen to both good and bad people. Maybe we just take more note when bad things happen to good people.
Even the disciples wrestled with this question when Jesus encountered a blind man. The Bible says in John 9:1-3, “As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
“Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”
“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him”
And there it was, strait from the mouth of Jesus – the concept I had so badly wanted to debunk was staring me in the face.
So here is where I landed on this question that helped me move on. It was one part semantics. For me, saying this bad thing happened to show the power of God is vastly different from saying this bad thing happened so some all powerful, all knowing being could receive some sort of praise. God revealing His character through tragedy doesn’t feel self serving, but rather serves to help people realize there is a God, He cares about their pain, and He is good.
The second part of solving this equation for me came down to my own arrogance – thinking that the God who made everything I could see somehow owed me an answer. I had to accept that I do not know everything He knows and I cannot see the full scope of the picture He sees.
Do I think God causes people to suffer? Absolutely not. Do I think He uses any an all situations to show people who He is so that they might be drawn to Him? I give that a resounding Yes!
My favorite story in the Bible is the story of Lazarus. Mary and Martha are upset with Jesus because they called Jesus to save Lazarus and, since He did not come immediately, Lazarus died.
This is the story that has the shortest, but I think one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”
What makes these two words so powerful is the fact that is shows the concern Jesus had for these women. Jesus knew the plan. He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but He also know that Mary and Martha had to go through something they did not want to walk through. See, they believed Jesus could heal Lazarus so when He did not show up in the way they expected, it crushed them. The importance of Jesus crying is that He felt their pain. He hurt for them, and it is important to note that He was with them.
In the end, we are still talking about Lazarus raising from the dead today and the God that did it. Had Jesus just helped a sick friend, the story would not have the same impact.
Bad things happening to us is just the price tag of living in a fallen world. God redeems suffering so that more people will come to know him.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” I used to think this meant I would never have any problems, but I think it is referring to the greater good. The good that might be for someone else that comes from our pain.
That is hard to understand because it is so selfless and altruistic. However, Jesus provided to be the ultimate example of this. He suffered untold pain and, even though he was sinless, His sacrifice was part of the plan and good for everyone.
So, this is how I have come to believe that God is good. Outside circumstances tend to determine our view of God. When things are good, we see God as good. When things are bad, we wonder why He is persecuting us.
The truth is, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. What changes are the circumstances of our life, not God. So, logic would dictate, if God is the same and He is good when things are good in my life, then He must also be good when the circumstances that surround my life are bad.
This was the biggest turning point in my faith. Learning to see God as good, even in the bad, changed my life and my relationship with Him. If you are wrestling with this issue, I hope that this World’s Biggest Small Group reading can help give you some clarity. If you have already settled this in your life, share your thoughts, because you might be able to help someone else. That is what the World’s Biggest Small Group is all about.
Notes from the Beyond Suffering Bible
Seeing Is Believing – [In John 9,] Jesus demonstrated his power over sickness and disease. We are familiar with the healing power of Jesus, but this was something special. This was not healing a small cut. Rather, this was giving sight to one who had never seen before. Today, we know that this would involve restoring neural pathways in the brain. In Jesus’ day, such healings were unheard of (9:32). This was an amazing miracle, but it also resulted in spiritual vision—faith.
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Sometimes we go through bad things in life so that we can encounter Jesus more. How could God prove to you that He is your Helper unless you needed help? How could God prove to you that He is your Healer unless you needed to be healed? How could God prove to you that He is your Redeemer unless you needed to be redeemed? How could God prove to you that He is your Provider and Lord unless you’ve gone through times of unemployment or times of need? It is in these moments that God shows us His Love and… Read more »
I always wondered this but reading the story helps me alot I am a person that will give everything knowing I will fall but it doesnt bother me at all because I feel the Lords love.
Thank you for your message. I knew this, that even in the bad times God is still good. But with all that is going on in the world…and in my own life, that truth gets clouded. Thanks for the reminder.
I’ve always believed and told others that God is good in every situation, even the bad. That we don’t always understand the reasons of these bad circumstances that happen to us. God is showing me this now and it is so much harder to believe when these bad circumstances happen to you personally, and has definitely led me to wrestle with things in my mind. I truly appreciate this story as I’m able to relate to it and help me over come this test in my life.
I feel like every time I get in these low points I feel god the least. I pray and pray and pray But I never get answers.Whenever I’m not in these low points I do get answers I was wondering why this is. I feel him and I hear him whenever I’m not in the low points.
The enemy loves to fool us within our emotions. Every time you encounter and rough patch or difficult trials in your life, know that your faith in God handling it makes Him show up even more as long as you’re completely reliant on Him. I’m experiencing this now financially after losing a very good job with American Express making 90k down to delivering meals with door dash and grocery shopping as an Amazon Prime Shopper. Nothing wrong with those jobs but it has been a drastic decrease financially. But God!! I’ve deepened my prayer life, faith and humility because of… Read more »
Charles, I too experienced that same life changing moment in Sept 2013. I was laid off from a medical device sales position I had for 13 years paying me handsomely, benefits, co car, etc. Jan 2014 involved in a near death accident that took close to one year of rehabbing. Then onto that search for THE job that I wanted, not where He needed me to serve Him. I have found that job that too humbled me beyond ecstatic. I had to start serving Him with more reverence and in a learning mode. My world is much happier now! .
hello Kelly. Thanks for your input. It’s crazy how God pulls us out of our comfort zones by allowing difficult trials to force us to deepen our faith and dependency on Him so that He in turn can prepare us for the destiny He has planned for us for His glory. Each day, I have to lay down my personal agenda of wanting the “best fitting” job based on my understanding to relying on the path that He’s taking me and being joyful about it. True submission while worshipping. He can do whatever He wants and I know I’ll be… Read more »
For me personally, I’ve had to realize that I may still be hearing, but it doesn’t seem like it because I’m looking for a particular response or answer from God. Sigh, I want it my way. 😬 Unfortunately I cause even greater suffering on myself, because I wrestle rather than rest. I’ve had to determine to pursue his peace rather than pursuing answers. I’m in that season right now. It stinks, lol!
I, too, have tried to make sense of this. I came to the realization that God does not make the bad things happen. We do. People cause the problems. People make bad decisions like driving drunk, using drugs, lying, cheating, etc. God lets us use our free will, and we make messes of our lives and the lives of others. He is there with us in the pain, but He did not cause it. And it is not on Him to do miracles to fix it all. Then we would continue to do stupid things and just rely on God… Read more »
I have gone through bad times like most people have, lost a job, financial problems and etc but I have to say even in those bad times I trusted God and something good would happen to me. I knew it would not be immediately and finally I found a job that paid me more and now I am better off financially. It took time but it did happen. I still everyday thank God for his many blessing and pray that other people who are going through hard times lean on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
I have struggled with this pretty much my whole walk with God. I have devoted my life to helping others. As a Teacher in low income schools, working with homeless, donating what little money I could to outreach all over the world and suffering divorce, illness caused by my ex husband of 7 years, and even caring for his aging parents. I wrestled with why God would make me suffer so much devastation in my life. I love the Lord and read many stories of struggles of other Christians My parents divorced when I was 5 and I never had… Read more »
I needed to read this today. My precious daddy, who is a wonderful loving father and pastor is suffering and is in the final battle with cancer. I am struggling with accepting this as I am selfish and want so badly for him to live on this earth all the days that I do.. so I can love him and share life with him. I find myself saying, it is not fair… so reading this only bolsters what I already know.. bad things happen to good people and vice versa. Don’t get caught up in that terrible vein of thought… Read more »
I find it hard to pray when difficulties come my way. Sometimes I feel like God does not care about my issues. I really like when you say that God is the same and that he does not change,
This was an AWESOME reading. I’m reminded of something I need to tattoo to my brain. That God sees things that we don’t see. His plan is perfect (even with the pain) and is better than our plan without it. That is hard to understand sometimes because we think earthly too much while he is thinking heavenly. And his view from heaven sees things that would be impossible for us to see on earth.