WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

It is the question that needs rephrasing; why do bad things happen? Bad things can happen to anybody, but the righteous will survive it and tell the story as testimonies. In my years on this journey called life I have seen and have heard some things that happened to good people. And I have equally seen and heard of bad things happening to the bad people. I know a pastor of one of the largest congregation in Africa who lost one of his sons,;i have heard of a famous pastor, who died in a private plane crash. Trying to say these things can never happen to the christians only make it diffiucult to win those outside over. thruth aand fact are truth and do not need any embelisment from any body. The rain that beats against the house of the righteous is also the rain that beats against the house of the evil one, but the righteous always survive to tell the story. If the person dies in the perceived bad situation, then God knows why; it is not everything that God reveals to his children, therefore, we must learn to submit to him always. Christianity is allowing hin to have his ways and resting those we can not answer at his feet. Like Abraham, who never could understand why God is demanding for the death of the very son he gave him, but had faith enough to know that God is good and all will always be well. we cannot explain it all, but we have faith in God our father.  Few years ago, one of Nigeria foremost banker, billionaire in hard currency, philanthropist and educationalist died along his wife, and his elderst son, in the united state of America.He was a pillar and support his local church in a bigway. These sad stories are real and happened to real people, maybe, you heard about one or two; for sad stories travel faster, and tends to endure, while good news is fragile and it takes a lot to keep it afloat. Therefore, no one can deny the fact confronting us all, that bad things sometimes happen to good people;  Men, in their attempt to blame these unfortunate victims, will scroll through history, foraging, looking for one perceived bad thing----- this one terrible deed, the dead have done and, when they find it attribute it to their ill faith. That reminds me of a certain situation in the church at Corinth. They indulged in boasting and contentment, Apostle Paul had to warn them of one evil in their mist that could ruin all the good amongst them. See 1 Corinthians 5:2-6, and ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Yes, one evil can ruin a bunch of good deeds and stay on top of that deeds for a very long time.  [KJV] What I am saying here, is that our world works in this way, the power of evil seems to have a power over good.' a little leaven that leaventh the whole lump". It is in the light of such events that the naïve question the existence of God and others who have seen a lot of God’  in healing, miracles, and others to deny His existence, forms the idea that we have many gods; some good and some evil. Then we have those who in their simplicity, sum it up as Gods will for the evil , suffering to occur yet, the bible says James 1:13, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  Evil, suffering happened to people in the Bible.  Good people, in the bible have suffered evil too. Nobody bears testimony to this than the son of God,jesus our lord and saviour who incarnated as human. see Hebrews 4:15, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. The mighty God, incarnated, went through deprivations . See Mark 8:31, and he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. That our savior encountered suffering, rejection and humiliation only shows that it would be naïve for preachers, pastors to teach that as Christians we are immune or free from pain and suffering. Now, it must be made plain that the sufferings that Jesus went through while on earth is different from the suffering, pain and death on the cross; see Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. While on earth doing good and healing the sick he had not even a house of his own! He was even born in a manger. The death on the cross is to bring us back to God, bought our salvation and die in our place that was why he said in the book of Mark 10:4, for even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. It was not to save us from the evil, pain sufferings that are in this world, which was introduced when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, after being warned by God, of the consequence of disobedience. But jesus suffered, his disciples suffered, afterwards and almost all the apostles met death at the hands of evil men. But we should pray like he commanded us to do against evil in the book of Matthew 6:13, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Let us not forget or overlook this; bad things strikes in the house of the good and the evil see Luke 8:23, but as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. Matthew 7:24-25, therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” The rain came, the wind blew….even upon the house of the righteous just like it rained and blew upon the house of the evil man.”. Mark 4:38-39, and he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. The wind came not caring that the lord and Christ the messiah was in that ship, it came with intent to perish the occupants and shipwreck the boat: Where the occupant of the boat sinners?  On the contrary the personification of righteousness was in that boat, the mighty God was in that boat, the savior of the world . Evil can come anytime to anybody, but the righteous can take authority and ask God to deliver from this evil.  Jesus prayed for us to be delivered from evil. He did not pray God “to protect us from it.” Evil can come knocking, but you can emulate our lord and savior by taking authority. soon our pain and suffering in this fallen wolrd will come to an end and pain suffering and death shall be swallowed up in victory. This is the eternal hope of Christians. MARANATHA!