When It's Unfair

Maybe you feel like something is not fair. Why do bad things happen to good people? Free will. Through these tough times God tests us and teaches us. We will gain strength, faith and trust from the hard times we survive. You have faced a devastating diagnosis, a person or circumstance has caused you pain, a failed relationship, betrayal, a dishonest colleague, a lost job, etc. Maybe you are watching someone who is not a good person thrive. Jeremiah 12: 1, "Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?" That question has been around over 2,500 years!

Jeremiah didn't understand his circumstances so he went to God with his struggle and asks the Lord for help. I want to be more like Jeremiah. His first sentence to God. "Righteous are you, O LORD …" Jeremiah trusts God, even in devastation. Isaiah 55: 8, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord." We are not always going to understand God's ways. God didn't immediately remove Jeremiah's suffering, it got worse before it got better. God assures Jeremiah that the wicked will ultimately perish and the invaders will fall. For those who change their hearts, God will grant restoration and renewal.

"This is not fair" we say to God. I'm sure we sound like a two year old talking to their parent. The Bible says there is not one good person. Romans 3: 10, "As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one...'" Every good thing we have is due to the grace of God, in spite of our sins. Ouch! So the answer to why do good things happen to bad people? Grace!