Bad things keep happening am I doing something wrong? Let’s talk about the answer to your question.
Bad Things Keep Happening Am I Doing Something Wrong?
Not necessarily, it depends.
Opposition from Satan
Job famously did nothing wrong. God even testified that Job served Him faithfully:
“The Lord said to the Adversary (Satan), “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, who fears God and avoids evil?” (Job 2:4).
Yet he suffered calamity after calamity. The source of his disasters was “the Adversary (Satan).” The Adversary challenged God, saying Job only served Him because God blessed and protected Job. But God accepted the Adversary’s challenge to Job’s integrity and allowed Satan to destroy Job without cause. A messenger came to Job with the first round of news:
“Suddenly a great wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on (all of Job’s children), and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you” (Job 1:19).
Another messenger came with the second round of news:
“Therefore, the Adversary went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with severe sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his head” (Job 2:7).
Random Chance
Some suffering comes from random chance. It’s plain dangerous to live in this world. Car crashes, fires, earthquakes, storms, floods, and wars are just some of the dangers we face.
When Jesus walked the earth, He mentioned a random event. Many in Jesus’ culture believed terrible things only happened to bad people, and people got what they deserved. Jesus corrected their theory, saying,
“Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all men…. I tell you, no!” (Luke 13:4-5).
Opposition from People
Some come from people who irrationally oppose you.
Jerusalem had lain in ruins for decades when the Bible leader Nehemiah returned to God’s city to rebuild the walls. But Jerusalem’s enemies wanted it to remain in ruins:
“When (the enemies) heard how the restoration of Jerusalem’s walls (progressed), it made them extremely furious. So they all conspired together to fight against Jerusalem in order to cause it chaos” (Nehemiah 4:7-8).
Opposition to God
We can also suffer if we oppose God or His people.
And bad things can happen because we do something wrong. If someone wrongs us, God tells us not to seek revenge ourselves but to leave vengeance to the Lord:
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,” says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
God is a just Judge. So, when we wrong others, He will achieve justice.
Breaking Laws
If we break the laws of our government, we can also suffer. “Whoever resists the (governmental) authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:2).
In general, we get what we deserve when we break the law.
Summary
Bad things can happen to good people or bad people. No one is immune. We must ask ourselves why we’re suffering:
People can oppose us for doing good; so can Satan.
God can oppose us for rebelling against Him, His people, or His plans.
The Government can oppose us for breaking its laws.
Ask for God’s Help
Sometimes we’re not sure why we’re suffering. If we don’t know why, God can help us. He promises to give us the wisdom to help us understand our trials…
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and without criticism, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without wavering” (James 1:5-6).
…and the strength to endure them without sinning:
“God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted above what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Read “How do you have to act to be a Christian?” here.
