The topic I am about to write might just open a whole new world of debate and discourse, but my prayer is for the reader who chances upon this article to bring this subject matter to God alone.

The topic I am about to explore is: is God behind all trials, tribulations, persecutions and bad things in life that happens to Christians? Does God dish out punishments to keep us on our toes? Does God gives us these difficult circumstances to make a point in our lives? I am sure you already have many thoughts going through your mind right now, and I agreed it is a heavy subject. So let’s Scripture speak for itself and this time, I would like to bring us all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1).

“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good” (Gen 1:3-4).

Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth. And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:9-10).

“The earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:12).

“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:16-18).

“God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:21).

“God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:25).

“God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27).  “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Gen 1:31).

I have presented God’s creation of the world to show you that everything that God made is all very good, so far.

Then God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told them to tend and keep it. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:16-17). We know the story all too well, both Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for the consequences of their direct disobedient, death entered into God’s very “good” world. Later, Christian called this a “fallen” world after mankind sinned. 

“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Right from the beginning, God has only wanted to give us the very best and only the good things in life to enjoy. Our disobedience caused us to be expelled from the Garden of Eden, a rift between God and mankind and brought death to all of our bodies. We have given ourselves a death sentence. Sin has tightly shut and closed off the door to heaven (all good) from us. And the rest is history. 

“…In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Jesus warned us in the Bible that life is going to throw us curveballs that might hurl us off course, that we might expect bad turns of events or difficult and challenging circumstances. But we are to lift up our countenance because He is not going to leave us in the lurch. God is not capable of doing “bad things;” it is contrary to His attribute and character. God can only out-give, out-love and out-bless His children. 

“What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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!” (Matt. 7:8-11).

I am not God’s advocate and I do not need to be. The Bible says there is a cloud of witnesses of the faithful (Hebrew 12:1) who can account that God is good. Moreover, God can totally speak for Himself. In the Book of Job, from chapters 38-41, the Lord reveals His omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscient clearly and powerfully. Coming back to my topic, do our sufferings and pain come from God? No, they do not. Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden brought tribulations into the world, culminating in our final enemy, death.

“No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]. 1 Corinthians 10:13.

God may make use of our trials and persecution to turn evil to good, but in themselves they mean nothing to Him. God will defeat evil. ​

Are you going through a rough patch or are in a tight spot? Fear not. God’s answer to our sufferings and problems of evils is His invitation: “Come and follow me.””He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

Run to God, seek His face and have a intimate relationship with Him. In the end, the Christian gospel does not concern itself with explaining God’s enemies (evils and death), but with the Easter promise of life after death: resurrection! Eternal life in Christ Jesus!

“What shall we say “God will not make death a friend or suffering an ally; he will “make all things new.”

– ​Thomas G. Long