We often hear it said only good things come from above, so sin, sickness, disease, and wars are the devil’s product. If something terrible happens to us, it is the devil’s fault, and if something good happens to us, it is Yehovah who blesses us. Most Christians who think like this are guilty of idol worship and have opted to worship multiple gods instead of the one true God, Yehovah.
How?
The Bible says in Isaiah 45:7 Yehovah our God creates good and evil, so both come from our God. In the book of Numbers, we see how Yehovah punishes the Israelites with plagues and curses for their disobedience. We see in the book of Jobe, the devil, a created being, has to ask for permission before he can do anything to Jobe. This shows us the devil can not act on his own will; he can only do what Yehovah allows him to do, and both good and evil come from our God Yehovah.
But how can a good loving God allow humans to suffer and even cause suffering? Because there are always consequences when we disobey Him.
The Bible says, in Matt 5:17, 7:21-23, 23:2-4, Book of Rev 12 and 14, Ex 19, Psalm 119, the law of Moses is the constitution of the Kingdom of Yehovah. Everything Yehovah does is based on Moses’s law; every decision He makes is based on Moses’s law. When we do something Moses’ law prohibits, it has consequences depending on what we have done. So what you perceive as suffering is actually a consequence of your crimes against Yehovah. (Deut 28)
So how can a good loving God allow humans to suffer? Because He is good, and any good judge has no choice, he has to punish the criminal.
So what should we do to be pleasing to our God?
The Bible says we should repent from being lawless and start living righteously obeying the law of Moses. Then we have to atone for our past sins; this can only be done by faith in the Blood of Yeshua (Jesus Christ).
Does this mean that our lives will be comfortable and carefree if we repent and believe in the cross?
No, first and foremost, because we will still keep sinning unintentionally, and when we do, we will experience the consequences of our sins. Then we will also have to deal with what is called collective guilt. When someone in authority over us sins, we share in the consequences of their sins. We are not judged for their sins, but the effects of their sins will affect us. So as a citizen of your nation, the sins of your government will affect you even if you are perfectly righteous in the eyes of Yehovah. As a spouse, the sins of your husband will affect you even if you are a perfectly righteous woman in the eyes of Yehovah. As a child, the sins of your parents will affect you even if you are perfectly righteous in the eyes of Yehovah.
Even so, we know the Bible says our duty as sons and daughters of Yehovah is to remain righteous no matter what happens to us. (Ecclesiastes 12:13) and always love Yeshua by obeying the Mosaic law (John 14). And it is our love for Yeshua and Yehovah, shown in our obedience to the Mosaic law, that is the key to an overcoming life.
In Rom 8:28, we are given a promise, everyone who obeys Moses’ law can trust that whatever happens to them is meant for good even if we perceive it as suffering. This is why the Bible says in 1.Thess 5:18 we are always to give thanks for our circumstances because when we are grateful for what happens to us, we show Yehovah we trust Him.
When we are grateful, even if we do not understand what is happening or why it is happening, we demonstrate to Yehovah we have complete trust and faith in Him and His promise in Rom 8:28.
This does not mean you should not pray, for the Bible says in 1.Thess 5:16-18 we are to pray and ask Yehovah to change our situation. But to be able to pray with faith, we first have to believe and have faith that He is in control of our current circumstances. To have faith and believe He is in control of our present circumstances, we first have to learn how to be grateful for what is happening to us even if we do not understand it all.
So am I saying that you should be grateful when someone dies? Grateful when you lose your job? Grateful when your child gets sick and dies?
If you are a Christian, you know that the Bible says this has happened because Yehovah has allowed it to happen. If you are righteous and reconciled to Yehovah by the cross, Rom 8:28 says what is happening in your life will be turned into something good depending on your faith. For this to turn into something good, you have to first trust in Yehovahs love for you. You can only trust in His love for you if you can trust that He has allowed this to come upon you and that He is in control. You can only have this kind of faith if you can be grateful for whatever happens, even if it is the worst kind of suffering.
So no matter what happens to you, be grateful for it and ask Yehovah to change your circumstances, but most importantly, never complain.