Why Does it Happen?

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that reject fear and champion faith. Fear is a spiritual force used by Satan to keep people down. We should have faith and trust in God's perfect love, as it casts out fear. Bad things happen to everyone, but God's yard is where the good happens. Job's suffering was not a punishment from God, but a result of him dwelling on fear and not fully trusting God. Believers receive prosperity and riches in heaven while non-believers only have temporary earthly wealth. God wants us to succeed, be well, and prosper in every way. His love for us is constant and unconditional. We should praise and love the Lord, knowing that His perfect love casts out fear. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of His word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to His perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Job 21.9 Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. This verse right here is proof that humans have been whining as long as humans have been around. Look what's happening to me. Look how it isn't happening to them. Why doesn't it happen to them? Why does it happen to me? We are so selfish. Why is everything about us? The world is full of people, many cultures, many lives. Each and every one has a vibrant life in their head, their own story, their own way of viewing and interacting with the world. Who are we to say that our way is better than their way? That what happens to us has more weight or importance than what happens to them? Why is it that our feelings are so special, what we think is so important? It is selfish, though we do try and cover it up. We try to include other good people with us in our whining. Take the classic, why do bad things happen to good people? That one's great, because if you really think about it, the real question is the same implied question in today's verse. Why do good things happen to bad people? But think about it. Bad things happen to everyone. It's the nature of the universe. God isn't causing bad things to happen or sending bad things. Nothing bad comes from God. Everything good comes from God. I mean, bad things happen because we're not in God's yard. God's yard is where the good happens. Everything else is the curse. Job was being tormented. Had he been walking away from God, away from the blessings of the Lord, because he wasn't obeying the rules? Old Covenant, remember. Was he sinning or running from the Lord? Well, there's nothing in the book that supports that. But then, there's nothing that supports the commonly held idea that God and Satan had a bet about Job. That God gave his permission to Satan to attack Job. No, Satan was merely told that he already has his claws into Job's business. Job wasn't trusting God about his property, his family, or his security. He knew his life was touched by God, but he doesn't seem to have believed God had the rest in his hands, too. Look at Job 3, 25-26. For the thing which I fear comes on me. That which I am afraid of comes to me. I am not at ease. Neither am I quiet. Neither do I have rest. But trouble comes. See? Job dwelt on the negative. He gave of his time and mental energy to it. He thought about it, dreaded it, feared it, and bathed in that fear. He was making sacrifices to cover his bases and the bases of his kids, just to be safe from the fear. And that is not how to sacrifice anything. That's in Job 1-5. Lip service, not heart service. Now, this is borne out by what happens in Job 1-22. In all this, Job didn't sin, nor charge God with wrongdoing. With his lips, he did not sin. But what was in his heart? What was Job thinking? He could look around himself and see that the rest of the world was going on. Same old, same old. Bad people surviving and thriving. Maybe he thought, why is that? Why doesn't God punish everyone bad? And by the way, I thank the Lord daily that he doesn't punish us. Because I don't want to get what I deserve. I am thrilled with the grace that he has provided. I thank him daily that Jesus took my penalty and paid my dues. Now, the answer to all this is in Exodus 34, 5-7. Moses was on the mountain. He'd gotten the Ten Commandments, then gone down and broke them in anger as the Israelites were already turning from God. He went through all that. He got the command to bring up stone tablets for a second set of the commandments. Moses asked to see God's glory. But no one can see the face of God and live. His righteousness is too much for us, which is why Jesus became human. We can see him. We can touch him. Because by grace, through faith, he gives us his nature and changes us into a new being. But he told Moses where to hide. God said he would cover Moses with his hand as he passed by, but then would move it and Moses would see his back. And this is what happened. Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed Yahweh's name. Yahweh passed by before him and proclaimed, Yahweh, Yahweh, the merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the children's children and on the third and fourth generation. And that was in the old covenant, the law, and we're freed by that. Jesus became like us in every respect, so he could stand as a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God and atone for all our sins. Hebrews 2, 17-18 He did that for us while we were in sin. God made atonement for us before we knew him or cared about him or wanted him in any way. God loves us, all of us. He has extended to us the same grace, the same mercy, and has the same love for each and every one of us, from the worst person ever to the humanitarian philanthropist. New covenant, we're totally covered by grace. Old covenant, he's slow to anger, abundant in loving kindness and truth. This is a loving God from beginning to end. He also says he punishes. So why do good things happen to bad people? Well, the same reason they happen to any of us. God loves us, and he gives us good things. He gives good things to his children. He gives good things to all people. All of them. He loves them. All of them. If he didn't, he wouldn't have died for us. But there is a difference for believers. Non-believers can have good things, but they're just things. They're temporary. Believers get prosperity while we're on earth, physical, spiritual, financial, the whole picture, and riches in heaven. And heaven is our reward. In fact, our natural world prosperity is tied to our spiritual prosperity. We cannot have anything in the natural if we don't have something in the spiritual. We prosper here as our spirit prospers. Since the Lord is all about fellowship and relationship and us getting close to him, that's a pretty good deal. What do non-believers get? Well, they have access to the best that the earth has to offer. That's it. After death, they get the worm. In Isaiah 66, 24, the Lord is speaking of what will come, and he says, They will go out and look at the dead bodies of the men who have transgressed against me, for their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind. I'm not always happy at how people that don't appear all that nice seem to have wealth, power, and no problems. But when I think about it, I would rather not have their level of wealth and be secure in my eternal reward. But remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7, 11, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. The Lord doesn't wish us to suffer in poverty. Jesus certainly didn't. He and all his disciples always had food, always had decent clothes, had homes to live in. Jesus' house was in Capernaum. And gave so much money to the poor, that when Jesus fled, right after Jesus talked about one of the disciples betraying him, they all assumed that he was going to go give alms. They had boats available to them whenever they wanted. Several of the disciples had been businessmen before being called with their own resources and assets. These weren't poor people. Remember, more than 12 followed Jesus. Over 70 followed Jesus. But the 12 were the closest and constant companions. Now why would God want us to have less than Jesus did here on earth? Jesus had few, if any, material wants. He had all his needs met. He had money to give away, and to take care of his followers. We could have all that. We could be secure. Remember, though, he was persecuted for his stance on God. There were those who hated him and went out of their way to cause him trouble. Jesus promised us that if we follow the path of righteousness by abiding in Jesus and walking in his way, the enemies of God will persecute us for Jesus' sake. That's Matthew 5, 10-12. We will be attacked by the enemy trying to steal what God has given us. We will be buffeted and storms will rage around us. It will not be easy sailing, said Jesus. Romans 8, 17. But he also said he would always be with us. Hebrews 13, 8. Never leave us. Equip us, 2 Timothy 3, 17. Empower us, Colossians 1, 11. Anoint us, 1 John 2, 18-29. And give us all that we need to gain a spiritual, eternal victory in him. 2 Corinthians 2, 14. That doesn't always look like victory to the world. Revelation 12, 11. Isn't that worth it, though? In every way possible, prosperity and success. When persecuted, hated, and attacked, because we abide in Jesus, we get true riches and rewards in heaven, too. That's win-win. God wants you to succeed. God wants you well and healthy. God wants you to prosper in every way possible. He has gifts upon gifts, if you'll just learn to accept them. The Word says so. He wants you to start with your spirit, and keep that your focus. To seek him and the kingdom first and foremost. Matthew 6, 33. The rest will follow. Jesus said it. Believe it. Abide in him. Receive it. If he wants sinners to have good things just because he loves them, how much more does he want good things for those who love on him, worship him, and walk in his ways? Our daily affirmation of God's love is Psalm 89. This is a beautiful psalm, especially in the Passion Translation, where they call it a forever psalm. It talks about God's love, mercy, faithfulness, and promises. It's full of praise to the Lord. It's a beautiful two-way street of love. Read it out loud. Sing it. Sing a tune. The more you read the word and praise God, the more you love the Lord. The Lord never changes his love attitude. It's always 1,000% higher, larger, and more constant than we can imagine. This is a great psalm to start giving love back and get close to him. Praise Jesus as you read it. Make it your song, a song of Jesus' love for you and your love for him. As we close, remember that you have birth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that he loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us that God has sent his only born son into the world that we might live through him. And this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin, and it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because he first loved us. He just loves us. He can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.