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Why Do Good Things Happen To Bad People?
This question of “Why Do Good Things Happen To Bad People?” has been around for thousands of years. A lot of people ask this, including a guy named Asaph, who wrote Psalm 73. Asaph was handpicked by King David to write songs and lead worship… but even he sometimes wondered why God gives good things to bad people. In Psalm 73, Asaph said in v. 3 that at times he too “envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” He goes on to talk about how it SEEMS that the bad people have no problems and how they even mock God and it SEEMS that God never does anything about it.
Sound familiar?
We all feel this way at times… but as you’ve probably figured out by now, just because we feel a certain way, it doesn’t mean it’s true… it only SEEMS that way. Instead, focus on these truths…
- God sees everything – Proverbs 15:3 says “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Just because God doesn’t punish evildoers immediately doesn’t mean God hasn’t taken notice… He has… in fact the Bible also tells us that ALL our deeds are recorded (see Revelation 20:12).
God is just – In Psalm 37:7 the Lord tells us: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” It goes on to say that God will indeed punish those who sin. We just haven’t seen it yet.
God is… God – Okay, this sounds a little hokey, but consider this: We can probably come up with a thousand more “why” questions for God… but to be honest, “why” questions are bad questions to ask God. Because again, if we’re being honest, maybe the reason we ask questions like “Why do good things happen to bad people” is because we’re really complaining, saying “God, why don’t I have good things like these bad people?” Because when we ask God “why”, what we are really trying to do is enter the mind of God, to understand His thoughts and ways. But simply put, His thoughts and ways will always be beyond our understanding (see Isaiah 55:8-9). And we may not mean to, but when we ask God “why”, what we’re really saying is “God, I’m not sure I can trust you if I can’t understand what you are doing”. Instead, it’s best to confess God is God and there is no one like Him. We cannot understand His ways… but we CAN trust His heart! He loves us! He is for us! And in Psalm 103:10-11, we are reminded that “he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him…”
So don’t dwell on the “why” questions for too long. Let them go and do this instead, from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” See? If we trust in God, He will straighten it all out!
