Diane Kannady - Why Did This Happen? What Is God Doing?

Why Did This Happen? What Is God Doing?

Copyright 2015 by Diane Kannady

Cover design by Gino Morrow

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (NCV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible, Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (J.B. Phillips) are reprinted with the permission of Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., from THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISHREVISED EDITION by J. B. Phillips. Copyright 1958, 1960, 1972 by J. B. Phillips. All rights reserved.

Published by TruConnections Press

ISBN 13: 978-0-9846967-2-7

ISBN: 9780984696741

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the Riches in Christ family. Without your love, friendship, prayers and support, this book would not have been possible. Thank you.

May our hunger to know God more fully and to represent Him more accurately be ever increasing.

CONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION

When troubles come our way, two questions naturally arise: Why did this happen? What is God doing? If we cant accurately answer these questions, our hard times will be even harder. Incorrect answers produce confusion and added emotional pain on top of the difficulties themselves.

• People become angry and bitter at God for allowing the hardships they face and they struggle with how a loving God could permit such a thing.
• Individuals fret over whether God is testing or teaching them as they frantically try to discern what message the Lord is sending through their ordeal.
• Others wonder if their circumstance is punishment from God and agonize over what they may have done to deserve such tribulation.

However, according to the Bible, adversity does not come from God. Its part of life in a fallen world. Although God does not instigate lifes challenges, He does use them for good and cause them to serve His purposes.

In this book, we will examine what the Bible says about why bad things happen and what God does in the midst of hard times so that we can rightly answer these important questions. Accurate answers will help us deal with the struggles of life in a way that honors God and brings us victory.

P ART ONE:

ANSWERING THE WHY AND WHAT QUESTIONS

THE WHY QUESTION

W hy did this happen? is probably the first question people ask in the face of unexpected adversity. Although why is a natural reaction, it isnt the best question to ask because it will undermine our trust in God. Whether we realize it or not, when we ask why, we imply that God has been unfair in allowing our trouble.

We must learn to shut the door on this thought. Such thinking erodes our confidence in the Lord at the very time we need to turn to Him for help. If we believe that God is behind our misfortune in any way, how can we be certain of His help as we deal with the situation?

Satan is ultimately behind all accusations against God as he seeks to weaken our reliance on our Heavenly Father. Thats what he did to Adam and Eve. He brought a charge against the Lord to entice them to disobey God. Satan told Eve that God ordered her and Adam to refrain from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He was withholding something from them.

You wont die (if you eat) the serpent hissed. God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5, NLT).

Satan uses the same strategy on people today. He challenges Gods goodness by claiming that the Lord is behind the hardships and sufferings of this life. But God is never the source or the cause of your woes.

In the face of adversity, it isnt wrong to ask: Why did this happen? However, you must be able to rightly answer that question according to the scripture. Otherwise, you are vulnerable to the maneuvers of the devil.

Why do bad things happen? Tragic, tormenting, destructive, difficult circumstances are part of life in an earth that has been damaged by sin. This is the correct answer to the why question.

A CURSE IN THE EARTH

As we study the Bible, we find that death and corruption entered creation through the sin of the first man. God commanded Adam not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree and he violated that command. Adams decision had significant consequences for mankind and the earth.

When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so that everything began to grow old and die (Romans 5:12, TLB).

(God said) Cursed is the ground because of you (Adam); In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life (Genesis 3:17, NASB). It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat its grasses. All your life you will sweat to master it, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came (Genesis 3:18-19, TLB).

Adams sin caused the curse of death to enter the earth and the material world became subject to decay. That means if you leave a peach sitting on the kitchen counter, it will eventually rot. Not because God made peaches to rot, but due to the effects of that first sin. Adam and Eves sin corrupted the natural laws and processes set into motion by God at the beginning of time. This change resulted in blight, drought, famine, destructive storms and earthquakes throughout the world.

The effects of Adams disobedience also touched the human race and produced a sin nature in men (Romans 5:19). The results quickly became apparent. Adam and Eves firstborn son, Cain, murdered their second son, Abel, and then lied to God about it. This inclination toward evil continued to express itself in each subsequent generation.

Additionally, when Adam gave into temptation, he gave up his God-given authority over the earth to Satan and altered the earths power structure. The devil became the god of this world (Genesis 1:26-28; Luke 4:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Since then, he has roamed the earth seeking to destroy men and women by enticing them to follow him in rebellion against God (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11-12).

As a result of Adams sin, all human beings are born into a fallen world. This means all of us must deal daily with the changes produced in creation by our first parents sin. Weeds, decay, natural disasters and death are currently part of the earths makeup. We have bodies that are mortal and subject to sickness, old age and death. We interact with people who make unwise and sinful choices that can directly affect our lives in negative ways. Each of these factors makes life on this planet toilsome.