Young People Ask . . .
Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
LIDIJA was a mere teenager when war erupted in her homeland—the country formerly known as Yugoslavia. “I spent many days and nights in a dark shelter,” she recalls. “Often I was tempted to run outside, even if it would mean getting killed! Before the war, you had all you wanted, but now you were happy just to be alive.”
The stresses and strains of war soon took their toll on Lidija spiritually. She says: “We could not go in the preaching work or to the meetings for weeks. I really thought that Jehovah was neglecting us. I would ask myself, ‘Why is he not helping us now?’”
Wars, crime, violence, disease, disasters, accidents—bad things like these can happen even to young ones. And when tragedy strikes close to home, you may naturally wonder, ‘Why does God let these bad things happen?’
Men of God in times past asked questions like that. When the prophet Habakkuk, for example, saw the despicable state of affairs that existed among God’s people, he lamented: “How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help, and you do not hear? How long shall I call to you for aid from violence, and you do not save? Why is it that you make me see what is hurtful, and you keep looking upon mere trouble?” (Habakkuk 1:2, 3) Some Christian youths today experience similar emotional distress.
Consider how one young Christian felt after the unexpected death of her father. She says: “I went berserk, screaming out of the window, yelling at Jehovah God. . . . I blamed him for everything. How could this happen? Dad was a great father and a loving husband, and now this happens—doesn’t Jehovah care?” In a situation like this, it is only normal to feel some confusion, hurt, or even anger. Remember, the faithful prophet Habakkuk also was troubled that wickedness was allowed to exist. Nevertheless, if a person continues to nurture bitter feelings, there is a danger. He could become “enraged against Jehovah himself.”—Proverbs 19:3.
How, then, can you avoid giving in to feelings of rage and bitterness? First, you must understand where evil comes from.
Bad Things Do Not Come From God
The Bible makes it clear that God never intended that we suffer this way. He placed the original couple in a paradise home that was free from pain and suffering. (Genesis 1:28) No doubt you well know how things went wrong: An invisible spirit creature, who came to be known as the Devil and Satan, induced Adam and Eve to disobey God. (Genesis, chapter 3; Revelation 12:9) By doing this, Adam condemned all his offspring to sin and its devastating effects.—Romans 5:12.
Clearly, it was not God who brought evil upon mankind, but man himself. (Deuteronomy 32:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29) Indeed, all the bad things that people suffer today—the sickness, the death, the wars, the injustices—resulted from Adam’s willful act of disobedience. Furthermore, we are all subject to what the Bible calls “time and unforeseen occurrence.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Both the wicked and the righteous experience freak accidents and tragedies.
God’s Permission of Wickedness
While it is comforting to know that God is not the source of wickedness, you may still wonder, ‘Why does he allow wickedness to continue?’ Again, this goes back to issues raised in Eden. God told Adam that if he disobeyed, he would die. (Genesis 2:17) The Devil, though, told Eve that if she ate from the forbidden tree, she would not die! (Genesis 3:1-5) In effect, Satan called God a liar. Furthermore, Satan implied that man would be better off if he made his own decisions and didn’t have God telling him what to do!
God could not ignore these charges. Have you ever seen a classmate challenge a teacher’s authority? If the teacher lets him get away with it, other students start acting up too. In a similar way, universal chaos could have erupted had Jehovah not met Satan’s challenge head-on. Jehovah did that by allowing man to follow Satan’s way of doing things. Has man come to enjoy the godlike independence that Satan promised? No. Satan’s rule has brought havoc and misery, proving him to be a vicious liar!
Will God allow wickedness to go on forever? No. To settle the issues Satan raised, God will soon bring an end to all wickedness. (Psalm 37:10) But how are we to cope in the meantime?
An Issue That Involves You
Realize, first of all, that this issue between God and Satan involves you! How so? Consider the Bible book named after the righteous man Job. When God pointed to Job as an example of a faithful worshiper, Satan responded: “Would Job worship you if he got nothing out of it?” (Job 1:9, Today’s English Version) Indeed, Satan argued that if he was allowed to apply pressure, he could turn any man away from serving God!—Job 2:4, 5.
Satan has therefore slandered all God-fearing people. He has slandered you. However, Proverbs 27:11 says: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.” Yes, when you serve God in spite of painful difficulties, you actually help prove Satan a liar!
Admittedly, when faced with bad things, it is not easy to think of the issues involved. Diane, who was only ten years old when her mother died, says: “I feared that I would become hardened or bitter because of trials in my life.” However, knowing why God has permitted wickedness has helped her to gain a healthy view of her problems. She now says: “Even though there are things difficult to deal with in my life, Jehovah’s hand has always been with me.”
Diane reminds us of a very important fact: Jehovah does not expect us to cope with these pressures on our own. Psalm 55:22 assures us: “Throw your burden upon Jehovah himself, and he himself will sustain you. Never will he allow the righteous one to totter.” Young Kotoyo found this to be true. She faced tragedy when her parents were killed in the 1995 earthquake that struck Kobe, Japan. Speaking for herself and her younger siblings, she says: “Since my mother taught us to rely on Jehovah, we can endure.”
What about Lidija, the young girl mentioned at the outset? In time, she came to realize that Jehovah had not abandoned her at all. She now says: “Jehovah was always there for us. He led us and directed our steps.”
Jehovah—A Loving God Who Cares
You too can experience help from God when bad things happen to you. Why? Because Jehovah cares about you! And although he allows evil things to happen to good people, he also provides loving comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4) One way in which he does so is through the Christian congregation. There you can find ‘friends sticking closer than a brother,’ who can strengthen you when a crisis strikes. (Proverbs 18:24) Kotoyo recalls: “From the first day after the quake, we went to the place where the brothers met, and we received encouragement and necessary things. That made me feel secure. As long as we have Jehovah and the brothers, I feel that we can endure anything.”
Because Jehovah knows you as an individual, he can also take care of your needs when bad things happen. Daniel reflects on how he has coped with the loss of his father, saying: “Jehovah becomes a father to you, and his organization provides spiritual men as role models. Jehovah always provides answers to questions I have that I would have naturally discussed with my dad.” Diane has similarly experienced Jehovah’s loving care since the death of her mother. She says: “Through older, spiritually mature ones who have provided encouragement, direction, and counsel, he has guided me and helped me to cope with any discouragement.”
Of course, experiencing bad things is never pleasant. But take comfort in knowing why God permits such things. Constantly remind yourself that God will remedy the problem very soon. Why, all traces of the bad things we have experienced will eventually be erased! (Isaiah 65:17; 1 John 3:8) By taking advantage of all the provisions God makes to help us cope, you can do your part in proving Satan a liar. In time, ‘God will wipe out every tear from your eyes.’—Revelation 21:3, 4.
[Pictures on page 19]
Soon Jehovah will bring an end to all bad things