How could a good God do such?

The first argument of the atheist. The first defense of the wronged, the hurt, the disappointed; those unable to process an unjust act, thought, or consequence. At some point in life, all persons will have a visceral reaction to something that causes great sadness, confusion or grief. Those who have not met God are especially susceptible to the impulse to thrust their demanding finger skyward and cast accusation upon an entity that prior to offense, they just as soon deny outright.

So how could a good God let bad things happen?

Big subject, right? But in order to properly address it, It is best if the first question is - what is the definition of a bad thing?

Isaiah 55 informs us -

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord.

Therefore, it would be prudent to readjust our thinking and definitions - or rather simply throw them out altogether. If we do, then where does that leave our accusations? If we don’t, then where does that leave us, except tangled in the endless forest of possibilities (explanations), which is exactly where the Devil wants us. Eventually he will prod us into believing that “if that’s how God is, then I don’t want any part of it!” Good for him. He just won another soul for himself; not good for the soul being deceived, though.

Sadly in our postmodern thinking, we have placed God as our equal - not our better. As our equal, he owes us an explanation. In reality, however, He doesn't owe anyone an explanation. He owes no one an apology, nor does he require permission from anyone. Think about it. Would you really want to follow any leader - let alone a God - that needed to explain himself for every single thing? Could you respect a leader that spent all his time apologizing? Would it bring you security if you knew your leader received permission for every choice? If he was like this, wouldn’t that be more of a puppet than a leader?

There is no human thinking, no human reasoning that comes close to understanding the ways and thoughts of the Lord God Almighty. Earlier in the passage from Isaiah, God himself states:

“Let the wicked abandon his way,

And the unrighteous person his thoughts;”

The first possession the Lord requires from the wicked is “his way”. Everything a wicked person does is at enmity with God. Therefore, he must completely and utterly lay down his way, and come into God’s way. God is no respecter of men. He only sees in binary, and praise God He does! One is not wicked by virtue of his acts alone, but by not laying down his way and becoming a bondservant of the Lord. The only thing good that God is able to see is his son, Jesus Christ. Unless one is clothed, arrayed, with Jesus; unless one has come into the atoning blood that Jesus poured out to stay the wrath of the Father, that one is wicked.

But it’s not merely our actions alone we are to forsake. Many may have given up their way to follow the Lord, but laying down one's thoughts in a complete manner is not, by any means, a once-for-all task.

Our thoughts make us unrighteous. If a thought is not from the throne of God, it is, by definition, unrighteous. Every professing Christian must, at all times, be hypervigilant of the thoughts - internal or external - that he allows him/herself to process. Unrighteous thoughts lead to destruction and to death. Righteous thoughts lead to righteous living and life.

Righteous thoughts originate from Christ Himself. To hear, and to heed, the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ is completely attainable. His thoughts are God’s thoughts, and therefore righteous. In righteousness comes peace, security and love.

How can a good God let bad things happen? Easy. You have no right to make assumptions, let alone accusations about God’s ways. If you do, you have allowed your thoughts to wander from the truth and stray from the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The accuser of the brethren has infiltrated your thoughts, he has usurped your mind to fill with endless pathways that all lead to destruction.

How could a good God do such, you ask? We will all find out in time, assuredly. For now, it is not for us to spend one waking second on processing any equations having to do with the ‘why’ of God’s ways. He is sovereign, that’s enough. God is always enough.