Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow children to be hurt by wicked people? Have you ever asked those questions or wondered in your heart? I just finished reading the story about Job, who was unfairly targeted. David, Daniel, and Jesus Christ are also examples of how the devil influenced individuals to harm them. They all had to go through the bad situation, yet in the end, God blessed them for being faithful to Him.
What about the Christians killed by terrorists or a gunman? Why didn’t God protect or rescue them? These are the questions we need to grapple with, because many people do not come to faith in Jesus Christ or leave the faith due to a tragic issue that can’t be explained. Everyone has been a victim in one form or another. Satan wants everyone to doubt that God is good and that He can’t be trusted. Satan tries to warp your perception of God and make you angry at Him, just like he did with Job. Job 2:3 explains, “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? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.’”
Satan is our accuser, too. Read Ephesians 6:10-18. The Apostle Paul explains in Ephesians 6:11-12, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Not everything can be blamed on Satan; often, our sinful desires lead us into disastrous situations that cause us pain and suffering. But know that Satan also entices us based on our sinful desires. Ephesians 2:1-3 states, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
How Job Was Victorious Over the Evil Events.
Satan first got permission from God to afflict Job to make him falter in his faith (Job 1:10-12). God granted Satan his request to test Job’s faith. After Satan caused fire to destroy his crops, a windstorm to kill his children, and raiders to steal his wealth, Job still blessed the name of the Lord. Job 1:22 states, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” Job kept a positive view after losing all his children and wealth, then Satan asked God’s permission to cause physical suffering. This was when Job got depressed and laments the day he was born and hopes for the day he dies (Job 3). His wife encouraged him to curse God, and he said to his wife, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips (Job 2:10). Job got depressed and laments the day he was born and hopes for the day he dies (Job 3). His three friends said he had sinned, which was why God allowed all these calamities; yet Job could not recall any time he had sinned. He questions God. Job 13:23 states, “How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.”
Job found comfort in God’s word. Job 23:10-12 states, “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11) My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12) I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.” Job valued God’s words more than food. Do you desire to know God’s words and to know His promises more than you desire food? Will God find you to be pure like gold after your faith is tested? Will you commit to holding fast to God and keeping His ways during your trials?
In Job 42:4-10, Job repents of his sin for questioning God and challenging Him to answer him. Then God rebuked Job’s three friends, who had unjustly accused him of sinning and of not speaking the truth about God. Job then prayed for his three friends and forgave them so God would not deal with them according to their folly. After Job prayed for them, God restored Job’s losses and gave him twice as much as he had before.
Six steps to go from Victim to Victory
- Give up your pride to be humble (James 4:6 & 10; Ps. 147:6; Prov. 11:2; and 1Peter 5:5). Humility is thinking less about yourself (not selfish or self-seeking). A prideful person does not consider what is good to God, others, or themselves. Often, when we are victimized, we become prideful; either we choose not to love to avoid being hurt again, or we have low self-esteem and desire people’s approval and do things that perpetuate our pain.
- Submit yourself to God (James 4:7a). Trust that God is sovereign and all-knowing. Additionally, submission is an act of obeying God’s commands. My parents and my first husband were church-going Christians, but because they did not submit to God and obey His commands, I was a victim of their unloving, abusive behavior. When I submitted to God’s command to forgive those who hurt me and resist the devil’s enticement to hold a grudge and be bitter, I became victorious over the control of those who hurt me.
- Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7b). Resist through prayer, praise, and holding fast to God’s truth. Most of all, obey God’s command to love Him and others, and Satan will flee. I had to resist the self-serving desire to close my heart to loving others as God loves them.
- Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8a). Draw near with love and through prayer, trusting that He loves you. When you’re faced with a difficult problem, call out to God for help.
1Peter 5:6-9 states, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
- Repent of your sins (James 4:8b & 1John 1:9). Sin separates you from God, and He will not hear your prayers (Is. 59:2). Review 1Corinthians 13:4-7 and Colossians 3:5-15 to see if you love others as God commands and are resisting the devil’s temptations to sin against others because of the hurtful things done to you. To overcome the trauma of the painful memories of those who sinned against you, work through my website book. When the painful memories are healed, then Satan can’t torment you through them or use them to entice you to sin.
- Purify your heart so you don’t have a double mind (James 4:8, Matt. 5:8, & 1Peter 1:22). Matthew 5:8 states, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” “Put off” the sins and critical, wrong beliefs about yourself, God, and others, forgive them, then “put on” how God sees you and the truth about God, yourself, and others. Being abused or victimized creates soul wounds that need to be healed to have a pure heart. Read Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul. My web-book will also help you to purify your heart and soul. Our lack of understanding of who God is creates thoughts of doubt and insecurity. We think God does not care about us, and we see ourselves as being unworthy. As children, we may have been victimized by someone who was in authority over us or who should have protected and loved us but didn’t.
Conclusion
Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow children to be hurt by wicked people? Unfortunately, Satan is the ruler of this world (1John 5:19 & 2Timothy 2:26). He is determined to destroy as many people as he can and to prevent them from being followers of God. God allows him to test our faith so that we can have a pure devotion to God, as Job did. God warns the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” We all must suffer while on this earth, but I encourage you to hold fast to your faith and devotion to God and resist Satan’s attempt to cause you to doubt God. You may feel shame from being victimized; if you do, then read Eliminate Depression with Self-love and God’s Love.
I am praying for you and ask God to bless you despite the trials you may be facing or will face. Remember, to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. –James 1:2-4.
**********
All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright-protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.
My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.
If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.
Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.
Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.
Hope for Complete Healing 