Why Does Evil Come Our Way - and What Do We Do About It?

Friends, There's no pretense in the question.  Why does evil come our way?  And what does God's Word have to say about it??  These are questions I have pondered especially closely in recent days as my job was downsized, outsized or in any other way you might like to word it - I lost it without cause.  

Let us consider this passage of scripture from Matthew Chapter 5:

^"44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 ⁴⁵That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

 ⁴⁶For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

 ⁴⁷And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

 ⁴⁸Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

"For he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust."

Is that tough to swallow or what?  Translated:  bad things do indeed happen to God's children - and God's "arrangement" allows for that.  But the question remains - WHY?  Well, we don't understand all the reasons for that.  But let me give you my best crack at it according to God's Word and according to my prayer and the ministry of God's Holy Spirit to my heart. 

#1:  When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, he opened up "Pandora's Box" as it relates to God's plan.  God never planned for there to be sin, pain, disease, earthquake, famine or death in the world.  But when Adam fell, there was a domino effect that has followed through Abraham and Isaac - and on to us to this very generation.  In short, part of the reason that bad things happen to good people is because we (as men) invited sin and bad things into the world even after God pled with Adam and Even NOT to..

#2:  One of God's principle and chief tools in conforming us to the image of his son Jesus is adversity:

From I Peter 4
¹²Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
 ¹³But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
 ¹⁴If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
 ¹⁵But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
 ¹⁶Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."

According to this passage from God's Word - despite the difficulty there may be at the time of the trial - we should feel honored when we go through "fiery trials" as Christians, confident that God is using these trials in his divine sovereignty to conform us to the image of His dear Son.

3.  Going through these trials and experiencing the joy of the Holy Spirit through it all can lead to some of the most joyous, happy times of our lives because of the closeness we find in the valley of darkness when we draw close to God.  His spirit confirms in us that we are his children because of his chastening.

Read this from Hebrews 12:

²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
 ³For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

A Father's Discipline

 ⁴You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;
 ⁵and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
         "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD,
         NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
    ⁶FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
         AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
 ⁷It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
 ⁸But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
 ⁹Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

"Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for those whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives."

And you might say "I haven't sinned in God's eyes!" - or - "I don't deserve this!!" - I say to you - neither had Job.  Yet that did not stop God from allowing Satan to execute acts of torment upon God's servant.  God knew Job's limits and he never left Job's side through his torments and anxiety.  And through it all, Job remained constant and faithful to his God. 

Through our hardship, let us do likewise.  Let me do likewise through mine.  And may God give me special help during this time to bless them that curse me, do good to them that hate me, and pray for them which despitefully use me, and persecute me...  God bless You today.

Love,
Rudy