New believers need to have a balance regarding redemption and suffering.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
While I believe the bible clearly teaches that healing is the children’s bread and that healing was purchased for us at the cross, why is it that many who love the Lord and seek to do His will and walk in His ways, get sick and some die?
This is not an easy question to answer. I do believe that the Lord is seeking to move the church into a place where sickness and disease are finally overcome as the people of God begin to walk in resurrection life.
So how do we approach this difficult question?
Firstly, we need to understand the nature of God. God is love, and this underlying fundamental nature of God governs everything God does.
We have to come to understand that everything that God does and allows in our lives is redemptive. God only ever seeks the highest good for us and whatever the Lord allows into our lives has the underlying purpose to achieve the highest good possible for us. This is a liberating reality which needs to become a rock solid truth in our lives.
God looks at the end of a matter; He sees the final outcome whereas we tend to only see the immediate problem. God led the children of Israel into a wilderness to bless them.
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; Deuteronomy 8:15-16
One reason we get sick is ignoring the rules or principles of divine health.
In this secular world we all must live by certain rules to avoid being hurt. We have road rules which require that we drive on the right side of the road in USA and Canada and in most English speaking countries the left side of the road.
If you decide to ignore this rule you will eventually get hurt and maybe killed. Break the laws and you are liable to get hurt. We teach our children not to touch anything that is hot because it will hurt, however that child will eventually touch something hot and learn the hard way.
When it comes to God and his ways we mostly learn the hard way. We often hear it said that if God is love, why does He allow so much suffering in the world?
Where is God in all this? Why doesn’t He stop it?
Psalms 11516 The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.
God does not force us to serve Him. Free will is a God given responsibility that He has bestowed upon us. You have the right to live your own life your own way and make your own choices.
However God has told us very clearly in His Word that if we do certain things we will get hurt. God gave us rules that are designed to be a safeguard to us. We may not understand some of these rules but we must respect them, if we don’t we open ourselves up to unpleasant consequences.
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. Psalms 81:13-14
Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. Deuteronomy 5:33
Some would say that we are not under law! That is not true, as Jesus gave us very clear instruction on how we are to live so that it may go well for us as stated in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus required two things of us that covered all the Old Testament laws, namely the Law of love.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang (or are fulfilled) all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:37-40
God’s word tells us what we sow we will reap.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7
If we sow love, we reap love. The fact that God has given everyone free will along with a warning on how to behave if we want to be blessed, is both awesome and frightening.
God has said if you put your hand in the fire so to speak, you will get hurt. However I still hear the cry what about children, surly they can’t be accountable?
Firstly, parents are accountable to train their children in a right way. Once those children reach an age of accountability they become responsible for their actions. You say then what is the age of accountability? Only God knows that, it varies with each child. God is very fair and does that which is right. There is a place in heaven where children arrive who have not even heard the Name of Jesus; these children constantly arrive in great numbers. They are then taught about God and Jesus.
I heard the story of how a plane went down with several hundred Islamic children on board killing them all. You wonder why God had allowed this
The Lord would say, “What would you have done if you could have seen the future of these children who would grow up steeped in the Islamic religion then die and be lost?
We need to see things from God’s perspective. God can only be motivated by pure love, God would allow those children to die and end up in heaven for eternity. The age of accountability for those children who have not been brought up in a Christian environment is of a much higher age than those brought up in a Christian environment.
Children who are brought up in so called Christian countries like the USA, Australia etc. have a lower age of accountability.
What happens when God lowers the hedge?
The story of Job in the bible is a very compelling story which gives us an account of a perfect man experiencing horrific calamities. Job lived before the Law was given; and sometime after the flood. However Job understood the principled that sacrifice was needed to cover sin.
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. Job 1:5
What was God’s analysis of Job?
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job 1:1
Notice this is a perfect man, one that feared God and hated evil.
In this narrative God is careful to state right at the beginning of this story that Job was a good man who loved God. God went on to say this concerning Job:
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:8
How would you like God to feel that way about you? There was no one like him in the earth at that time, a perfect and upright man. Then God lowered the hedge around Job and Job was about to have the worst week of his entire life.
Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. Job 1:9-12
God lowered the protective hedge around Job and all hell broke loose over him.
Why did God do that? Satan had made the accusation against Job that Job only served God because of the blessing and favor that God had given him.
Now God knew Job well, and He also knew that Job would make it through this terrible testing time and come out at the end with even greater blessings and favor with God.
And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Job 1:13-22
Whatever you hear, or have heard about Job, this last verse is what you need to remember about this story. Job did not know why God had allowed this to happen to him. If Job knew what was happening and why, it would not have been a real test for him.
And what was the Outcome?
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10
Even though Jobs friends had given him a very hard time, he forgave them and prayed for them, this gives us an insight into Jobs heart.
So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days. Job 42:12-17
The other factor is this; Job agreed to go through this before God sent him into this earth.
When God lowers the hedge it is to give an opportunity for us to overcome. You cannot be an overcomer without overcoming adversity.
Everything God does is redemptive. To be wounded in the battle against evil, is a great honor. We need to understand that by the Lord’s stripes we are healed and it is through our stripes that we are given the power and authority to heal others.
Many of those who have had a great ministry of healing had to overcome sickness that could have killed them, often when there was no hope other than the healing power of the Lord.
Oral Roberts was dying of a disease and overcame it which resulted in him being given authority to heal others. Kenneth Hagan entered the ministry of healing under similar circumstances.
In the place and circumstances that you have overcome you are given authority, only then do you really have compassion for others. In every place the enemy wounds us we are given authority to heal others. You cannot develop courage without facing real danger.
We need to understand the principle of Seed, God’s secret weapon
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. John 12:24-25
We have all heard the phrase “only the good die young” well there is a small element of truth in that. When God plants a seed, he plants good seed. The reason for this is because like produces like. To have a harvest, you have to sow seed.
There are many kinds of seed. The Word of God when sown with an anointing is seed. You can sow money as seed and it will bring forth a harvest. However, the motive of the sower will be magnified in the harvest.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. Genesis 1:11
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Galatians 6:7
When Jesus died, He brought forth many children who would be like Him.
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29
The death of Steven in Acts 7:59-60 was seed sown for harvest. You will find throughout church history where there has been a great harvest of souls, seed has been sown in order for that harvest to happen.
Over the last few decades, seed has been sown to prepare the way for what will be the most glorious harvest the church has ever seen.
Many Christian young people have lost their earthly lives in various ways. These have been good young Christians, the kind of people that you would think God would preserve. However seed is required for the coming harvest, good seed is required.
There have been many unanswered questions why God would allow this to happen. Many parents have searched their hearts to understand if they had failed God in some way in the loss of their children.
However we need to understand that many of these young people who have lost their earth lives were born for this. Their destiny was that of good seed to be sown in death to produce a harvest.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John 12:24
Keith Green had a godly ministry during the charismatic move which was sometimes known as the Jesus people move in the seventies in the USA.
His death and that of my children was not in vain, the seed will bear much fruit.” “Keith was a special seed along with his children that was sown out of the charismatic move of God in the 1970s. This seed along with his children will blossom again with great power in the coming harvest. This seed will be seen in the earth again in multiplied form, a seed with a pure heart, a choice seed. The best seed was taken and sown. Seed has been taken out of every generation which will emerge again in this generation.”
There are many things we don’t understand but the Lord does all things well. These are days where we are going to reap that which we have not sown because God so loves the world and He has a harvest yet to be reaped, He will not rest until it is gathered in.
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. James 5:7-8