Why do bad things happen to good people? Do you ever wonder? Rabbi Kushner asked that question in a book in the 1980’s. He explained the presence of evil by saying either God is not all-powerful or God is not all good. I’m inclined to disagree.
Job wrestled with this question. He knew he had been serving the Lord at the time the wheels came off his life. His friends disagreed and asked him to confess his sin. Job didn’t know what God was doing, but he knew God knew him. God would redeem his pain and bring him through the test, shining like gold.
Our troubles may either drive us farther away from God or closer to him. Job could have cursed God as his wife suggested. Instead, he remembered following in the Lord’s steps, staying close, obeying his commands, and treasuring God’s words more than daily bread.
God is all powerful and God is always good. Even when we don’t know why life is difficult, our history with God tells us that he knows us. When we can’t figure it all out, God still knows what he is about. If we can’t trace his hand, we can still trust his heart.
