"Why me Lord? Why is all this happening to me? You know I love you and I am a good Christian; at least I think I am. Why do you let all this happen to me? One of your followers?
I know you are all-powerful, and to you everything is possible. Thy will be done. And there is nothing any of us can do about it. Whatever is your will, it will be done here on earth and in Heaven.
I know you can make all things happen to me. Misfortune, loss of job, poverty, ill-health, family problems, children problems, loss of loved ones.
You can make all these thing happen, like you did to Job. Although, strictly speaking, you allowed the devil to do all these things to Job within strict limitations set by you. But that is a moot point. The fact you allowed it to happen to Job still makes you responsible, does it not?
So why do you allow bad things to happen to me, Lord? What have I done wrong? Forgive me if I have offended you in any way. Make it stop!"
All right ... we may not have said it exactly as above; but how many of us would admit that these thoughts have crossed our minds when things did not go well in our lives?
Why does God allow bad things to happen to us? How does it serve His purpose on earth? Other people would look at us in our sufferings and difficulties and think, "well ... their God is not exactly loving right now, is He?"
I don't claim to have the answers to these questions.
Maybe, the reason why God allows such things to happen to us is so that others, non-believers, would look at us and see our reactions.
Would we deny God? Turn our back on Him? Give up on Him as He appears to have given up on us? Our reaction to misfortune is what others see in us. Is our Faith just skin deep? Just a show? Or is it real?
Or perhaps God is testing us? But then, what is the point in that if He already knows how we would react anyway?
Or is God perhaps using these moments when things are going bad for us as an opportunity for us to be an example to others?
Or is He perhaps helping us through our misfortunes in order that they may serve as a reminder, in times to come, when we look back and realise that He was by our side all the time?
I know in life I have had many dark moments. Moments when I even forgot to pray and ask for help. Yet, looking back, I now know God was with me all along. Helping me even though I did not realise it. The bad moments of my past help strengthen my Faith right now.
Let us consider this bit from St
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
“Every test that you have
experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his
promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain
firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to
endure it, and so provide you with a way out”. (1 Corinthians Chapter 10 Verse
13).
God knows when things go wrong in our lives. He allows it to happen. We may never know the reasons why; but we can rest assured that He will not allow us to be pushed beyond our endurance.
I'd like to believe that God is not in the business of losing His followers.
