Why do bad things happen to good people?
In 1972, the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst was published.
As you probably know, or can tell by the title, it’s a story about a boy named Alexander who had a really bad day. From the moment he woke up that morning until the time he went to bed that night, it seemed like everything that could go wrong, went wrong.
I wonder, have you ever had a day like that?
Some of you have had days like that. Some of you have had weeks like that. Or months like that. Maybe even years like that. And you’re wondering, when will this ever end?
It raises this age-old question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
You’ve probably asked that question recently as we see videos & we hear news of people we love who have been affected by the fires in California.
Why does a gunman walk into the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California & open fire? Why do 12 people have to die who had just gone out with friends to have a good time, having no idea it would be there last night?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
How do we forgive God when we’re trying to do everything right yet everything seems to be going wrong? Meanwhile, those in the world around us seem to be prospering.
Joseph’s story…
If you’re wondering where God is in the chaos that is your life, if you’re struggling to find God in your pain & suffering, you’re not the only one. Throughout the centuries people just like you have asked these same questions.
The good news is that we have their stories to see and be reminded of the presence of the invisible God in our lives.
Joseph is one person that I think often asked this same question. “Why me? Why are bad things happening to me over & over again?”
You can read what happened in Genesis 37. Here’s his story in a nutshell.
Joseph was the favorite child of his father Joseph. And Joseph had a gift. At the age of 17, he started having dreams. Dreams about his family one day bowing down to him. Now, it’s one thing to have these kinds of dreams. It’s another thing to share them with your family, especially with your brothers who already hate your guts.
But Joseph does.
He shares his dreams with his family & it makes them hate him all the more. Not only is he the favored child, not only is the recipient of a treasured gift from his father, an expensive robe, now he’s having dreams that continue to elevate him above the rest.
The Pit
So one day, his brothers are away taking care of their father’s sheep when Jacob sends Joseph to go check on them. This was a bad idea.
When his brothers saw him coming, they started making plans to kill him. That’s how much they hated him.
Had Joseph done anything wrong? Not really. But Joseph had something that they all wanted. He had their father’s attention & affection.
They thought, if we can just get rid of Joseph, maybe our father will notice us. Maybe we will gain his favor if Joseph is removed from the equation.
Thankfully for Joseph, his older brother Reuben heard the plan of the brothers to kill Joseph. Reuben talked them into just throwing Joseph into a pit where he would eventually die of starvation or something else. But Reuben’s secret plan was to rescue his brother, Joseph, later & save him from certain death.
But Joseph’s other brother had an even better idea. Here’s what Judah said in Genesis 37.26-27:
“What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime. Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders.”
In other words… what if we can get rid of Joseph & get rich at the same time?!?!?
Aren’t you glad you didn’t grow up in this family?
The brothers loved the plan & sure enough, they sold their brother Joseph as a slave, took the money & ran!
If your Joseph, don’t you think you’re asking the question… Why do bad things happen to good people? Why are bad things happening to me? And by the way, where are you, God?
Where is God?
You know what’s missing from the story? As you read the story of Genesis you see God on almost every page until you get to chapter 37 when the story of Joseph begins. At that point, it’s almost like God disappears. There’s no mention of God here in this part of the story. God is nowhere to be found!
When Joseph’s brothers take him by force, where is God?
When they throw him into a dark pit, where is God?
When they sell him to foreigners passing through, where is God?
When he’s taken to Egypt, where is God?
When he is sold into slavery to become the property of an Egyptian man, where is God?
God is absent in the story. He’s nowhere to be found. He’s invisible.
Meanwhile, Joseph is suffering because of the sinful actions of other people in his life.
He hasn’t done anything wrong. He hasn’t done anything to deserve this. And where is God when all this is happening? Where is he?
But the story isn’t over, not even close.
Fast forward the story, now Joseph is a slave in Egypt to a man named Potiphar.
The good news is that Joseph seems to make the best of his unfortunate circumstance. It doesn’t take long for him to rise to the top in Potiphar’s house. In fact, listen to this from Genesis 39.2:
The LORD was with Joseph.
This is the first time God appears in the story for Joseph. And what do we learn? Is God protecting Joseph from pain? No. Is he preventing him from further suffering? No. He’s just with Joseph.
It’s God’s with-ness that sustains us when the bad things happen to us.
[Tweet “It’s God’s with-ness that sustains us when the bad things happen to us.”]The Prison
The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the LORD was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household & everything he owned.
You might be thinking… Awesome! Joseph finally has good things happening to him.
And you would be right, except that this is not the end of the story.
Joseph didn’t just catch the eye of his master, Potiphar. He caught the eye of Potiphar’s wife.
Well, you can imagine what happened next… (Genesis 39.6-12). Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of trying to rape her. Joseph had no defense. There were no security cameras to prove otherwise. There were no eyewitnesses to testify. It was his word, a Hebrew slave, versus her word, the wife of the master of the house.
Potiphar was so angry, he sent Joseph to prison.
Joseph is put in prison for crimes he did not commit.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why do bad things happen to you?
Where is God when you need Him most?
I don’t know. And I’m not trying to give you bumper sticker answers to some of life’s most difficult questions.
But here’s what I believe is true. This was true for Joseph when he faced difficulty after difficulty. And this is true for you.
[Tweet “God sees. God knows. God cares. And God is working, often in invisible ways, for your good & His ultimate glory.”]God sees. God knows. God cares. And God is working, often in invisible ways, for your good & His ultimate glory.
Here’s why I believe that…
The Rest of the Story
Joseph’s entire life was one disaster after another.
But here’s the rest of the story. Joseph would end up in charge of the prison where Potiphar left him. God’s favor over his life continued no matter what pit he ended up in.
Then, through a series of events, Joseph found himself standing before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Since Joseph was 17 he had a knack for interpreting dreams. Pharaoh needed someone with that ability. Joseph was able to help Pharaoh & that led to Joseph being elevated to second in command of all of Egypt. Joseph was put in charge of making sure that Egypt would have enough food stored away so that when the famine came, the famine that Pharaoh dreamed about & Joseph correctly interpreted, that Egypt could have enough food to provide for it’s people during that time.
Here’s what’s amazing… Genesis 41.57: “…people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.”
Through Joseph God provided bread that would give life to an entire generation of people, including his own family.
Joseph’s brothers actually came to Egypt looking for food when the famine hit. Guess who they had to talk to in order to get the food they needed to survive!?
That’s right.
Joseph.
The same brother they threw in the pit is now the only one who can save them from the pit they’re in.
And you know what Joseph said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives!” – Genesis 50.20
Another Deliverer
And one day, another deliverer would come up out of Egypt. Jesus, the Living Bread of Life, would come to bring salvation to all the people of the earth!
People crucified him, they intended him harm, but God indented the CROSS for GOOD to accomplish what is now being done, the SAVING of MANY LIVES!
[Tweet “God indented the CROSS for GOOD to accomplish what is now being done, the SAVING of MANY LIVES!”]God can use your pain for the benefit of others & the glory of His name if you will let him.
[Tweet “God can use your pain for the benefit of others & the glory of His name if you will let him.”]He can use your situation, as difficult as it is, to accomplish his purposes.
God is with you, for you & in you even when you’re in the pit.
You never know what hangs in the balance of your faithfulness in the middle of your pain.
[Tweet “You never know what hangs in the balance of your faithfulness in the middle of your pain.”]A Better Question
Why do bad things happen to good people? Maybe that’s the wrong question.
Maybe the better question is this, Will we give up on the God who, despite all our failings, despite all the times we didn’t meet his expectations, despite all the times we didn’t answer when he called, despite all the times we have let him down he has never, ever given up on us?
Will we give up on God who has not given up on us?
[Tweet “Will we give up on God who has not given up on us?”]What if we didn’t? What if we held on to faith through the storm & believed that God sees, God cares, God knows & God is working for our good & for His ultimate glory?
Today, if you’re suffering, you need to know that you are not alone. You need to know that God can use your pain to benefit others & accomplish his purposes. You need to know that God may seem far away, but He is near.
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