Why I have troubles

In a discussion about the sovereignty of God, a younger woman was angry. She blurted, “Why does everything have to be caused by either God or Satan? Can’t it just be the way life is?”

I didn’t have a satisfying answer for her, but wondered if her question had more to it than her frustration. When bad things happen to people who seem to have done nothing to deserve it, hearts begin to doubt if God is in control. Why allow innocents to suffer? On the other hand, no one wants to think that Satan is running the world, so what options does this leave?

Lord, I know that You are almighty and sovereign. If that were not true, You could only do some things and would be helpless with others. I could never trust a god like that. Besides, Scripture and history affirm Your power.

I also know that Satan is on a tether. He is not almighty and can do only what You allow him to do. This is clear from the story of Job. 

And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:8–12)

You allowed Job to experience some terrible events. In this, You were demonstrating to Satan something about You, not about Job. You showed him that the faith You grant Your servants is powerful. It does not depend on things going well all the time, or on the “good” life. It is based on who You are, not on experiences and events.

For me, this raises another thought. When bad things happen in my life, are You doing the same with me as You did with Job? Are You proving something about Your grace and faith in my life? Or is it just the way life is?

If I thought the latter, then I would miss something wonderful. Of course the trials are not fun, but when they happen, if I dismiss them as “that’s life” then I do not seek, recognize, or glory in Your grace. Even though You take me through situations that press me to the wall, You keep me believing in You, no matter what. Nothing can take away the faith that You give.

There is another aspect to trials. Jesus said that “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).

A tree might not feel the knife, but when You prune me, I feel it. It hurts. Some of those hard times are part of the pruning process. You are at work to purify my love for You and wean me from all else but You. You console me, assure me, but also cut out the selfishness and sinfulness that keep me from being all that I can be. If I thought that the pruning process was just “life” then I would miss the marvel of what You are doing, and perhaps never change at all.

The Bible doesn’t say whether or not You explained Yourself to Job, a great man of faith. When I seek Your face in trials, You often show me the purpose of those trials. This does not make me closer to You than Job was. Instead, it shows me that I’m still a babe in the faith — because I still need the explanations.