“… He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good”

Sometimes we ask the question: “Why do bad things happen to good people and believers?” Some of us get caught up in such circumstances and begin to question God. But how can we understand and how should we treat this? In my opinion, a person’s reaction to hardship depends on their degree of their trust in God. The more a person trusts God, the more calmly he reacts to the difficulties that appear in his life.

When I stated this to some people they have responded by saying, “It’s easy for you to say, you were not in my situation.” This statement is true; however, they were not in my situation either. Sometimes it seems to us that our circumstances are more difficult than everyone else’s. But I want to encourage you with a verse from the apostle Paul: 

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13)

Don’t compare your circumstances to of others. Trust God that He will not let you face hardships that are beyond your strength. If something is happening in your life, no matter how difficult it is, you can always overcome it with God.

In my opinion, asking God why bad things have happened to you is not quite the right question. Since “as the sun rises on the evil and the good” (Matthew 5:45), so do difficulties arise for believers and non-believers because we live in a world in which the devil rules as its written in Luke 4:5-6. It would be much more correct to ask: “what for?” By asking the right question, you are much more likely to find the right answer.

          14 years ago, my wife and I learned this lesson in a very practical way. During her pregnancy with our second child, we received the hard news that my wife had contracted a virus which very likely could harm our unborn baby. We asked God why, but we did not receive an answer. But when asked what for, the Lord answered us through two passages from the bible: “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:1-3.)

Many live today in fear of COVID19 but I would like to encourage you not to be afraid. The Scripture says, “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30). We must trust God in all circumstances.

Today we have received the news that our son was infected with COVID19 in the shuttle bus to his special needs school. Our whole family has to sit in complete isolation from the world around us but our hearts are filled with the peace of God. Why did this happen? Perhaps so I could find the time to write to you. In order to lead a life where we complete trust in God, we must always remember that our strength does not come from ourselves but from Him.

“… in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37–39)

With much love in our Messiah Jesus, Aleksey Raikhstadt and the Beit Immanuel Congregation