Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

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Why do bad things happen to good people?


Hardest question ever! I don’t have the answer, but I know God sees the whole picture. I read somewhere that “Pain awakens us to God.” I know my pain did. Sometimes our pain awakens us to God in a different way. Some of us become angry, wondering why He allowed “it” to happen to us. Why didn’t He answer my prayer the way I wanted Him to? 


Remember the movie Bruce Almighty and the scene where Bruce (playing God) decided to answer everyone’s prayers exactly the way they wanted? The world ended up in total chaos. It just can’t be that way. We have to trust that God has it under control. Sucks for us sometimes, but makes sense in the grand scheme of the universe. He knows the right balance. 


A reporter asked me once why I thought God saved Isaiah. How can answer that? My son is not any more special than my friend’s son who died of leukemia, or my friend’s wife who died of cancer, the husband who died of Covid, or so many who have lost babies before they had a chance to know them. Why didn’t God save them too?


I don’t know.


I do know that God’s original plan was for us to live with Him forever. Pain and death were not part of that plan. But humankind brought sin into the world and now there is such suffering. Bad things are going to happen, but God is still on His throne.



Are you angry with God, but feel bad about it, and won’t tell Him? Have you read Psalm 22? David cries out to God. He is frustrated and angry. Then later, he gets it together and sings His praises. Got gets it. So, yell, scream, cry, and beg! That’s real. God created those emotions, and He wants you to come to Him with those emotions. 


Maybe you are thinking, “That woman is crazy. I don’t even know if there is a God.” Well, He gets that too. I pray that God reveals Himself to you in amazing ways. I will continue to pray that you come to know Him because there is no greater PEACE than knowing His love and accepting it. It doesn’t matter if you think you don’t deserve it. He doesn’t give us what we “deserve.” He loves us unconditionally regardless of what we’ve done, said, or thought.


He is for us.


“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither our fears for today nor worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

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