Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Day three hundred thirty-eight

I survived Relief Society!  I am never very comfortable teaching adults, sometimes they are put off by my energy, but I think it went well. No one fell asleep and people participated, that sounds like a good definition of success to me! Really I hope that they felt the Spirit as we shared what we were learning, the Spirit is a much better teacher than I am.  As you can guess, that is what I prayed for this morning, I prayed for the Spirit to be with me and with those that were in class.  We will see if they invite me back to teach again!

Intro to Job

Why do bad things happen?  And why do bad things happen to good people?  That may be the most vexing question we ever face, and sometimes we face it in very personal ways.  If God is so good, why did He allow this or that to happen?

These are the questions that come to us very often in the face of unspeakable suffering or tragedy.  These are the questions that come up when we read of the suffering of Job.  

Bad things happened to people in the scriptures, and very often the great heroes of the faith grappled with why certain things happened.  The book of Job addresses this, and in fact this is the major theme of Job, which may be the earliest and oldest book of the Bible. 

The problem is that God never really comes forward with a clear answer.  We are left with the thought that God allows pain for good reasons, but He may never reveal those reasons.   I wonder if some of the questions simply aren’t going to be answered on this side of heaven.  I wonder if part of the problem comes in our lives because we expect to find the answers when sometimes we don’t know.

So if we aren't going to get a straight answer, why bother studying about Job?  Because pain is inevitable and suffering is unavoidable in this life.  We will all be afflicted with it at some point in our lives.  The real lesson in Job isn't about how to suffer, it's about our relationship with God. Will our relationship with God be enough to get us through the trials?  Instead of asking where God is in the midst of our trials, the book of Job affirms that God is in control and asks us, "Where are we in our pain?  Are we trusting God, even though we cannot understand our circumstances?

Man, with our finite minds, keep trying to understand the ways of an infinite God, and it can't be done, we only come to the wrong conclusions. God said in Isaiah 55:8-9 "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'"

I am looking forward to digging a little deeper into this book and learning more about God and how I can strengthen my relationship with Him. Job comes through it with a deeper sense of God's power and splendor.  He shows that loving God is enough to get us through our trials. It is my hope that as I study this book I too will gain an understanding of what it takes to come away from trials with more understanding and trust in God.