Latest / Jo Watson: Unfiltered Faith / Where is God?
Transcript
- Jo Watson: Welcome back to Unfiltered Faith. I'm Joe Watson, and it's time to breathe. Time to slow down. Time to let your shoulders drop, and time to step into the sanctuary. Not the sanctuary we're all so familiar with, but the one that God is building inside you. Today's episode touches a question almost every believer whispers at some point in their walk. If God is good, why does He allow bad things to happen? Things like betrayal, loss, sickness, accidents, heartbreak, or moments we never asked for and never wanted. And beneath all of that pain sits a deeper ache. Where is God when life doesn't make sense? If you've ever wrestled with that question, you're not alone. And today we're going to walk through it together. But before we go deeper, I want to read a letter from one of our listeners, a letter that echoes the cry of so many hearts. This is what the listener wrote. Dear unfiltered faith, does God allow bad things to happen to us? If God is good, loving, and all powerful, Then why does he allow betrayal, loss, sickness, accidents, heartbreak, and things we never ask for? And here's the question that gets even harder. If God could have stopped it and didn't, what are we supposed to believe about him? Is everything that happens God's will? Does God cause some of the pain we experience? Or does he simply allow it? And when something terrible happens, how do we trust God without pretending that it doesn't hurt? Where is God when life doesn't make sense? Signed Just Wondering Where God Is To Just Wondering Where God Is First, thank you for your courage and thank you for your letter. Your questions are not signs of weak faith. They are signs of living faith. Let me speak to you gently but truthfully. You ask the question does God allow bad things to happen? First, God does not delight in your pain. God does not just wound you to teach you a lesson, and God does not orchestrate evil. Scripture plainly says in first John. Chapter one verse five, God is light and in him is no darkness at all. And James chapter one verse thirteen says, Let no one say I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. God is never the author of evil, sin, betrayal, and Sickness or destruction. He cannot contradict his own nature. So if there is darkness, God did not create it. If there is evil, God did not author it. And if there is betrayal, God did not plant it. Second, pain and suffering. Is not part of God's original design. Human rebellion, sin opened the door to brokenness. Genesis chapter one verse thirty one says God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. And Romans chapter five verse twelve says sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin. Third, God allows suffering because he honors human freedom and sets limits on evil. In the Bible story of Job, Satan initiates the attack, not God, but God sets boundaries on what Satan could do. Job chapter one verse twelve says The Lord said to Satan, Behold all that he, Job, has in the is in your hand. Only do not stretch out your hand against him. This verse shows two truths. One, God does not cause the suffering, and two, God does permit it. Within limits, God controls. This is called God's permissive will. God allows what he does not cause. Fourth, God uses suffering to produce growth, endurance, and eternal glory. James chapter one verse two through three says, consider it pure joy whenever you face trials, because the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And Second Corinthians chapter four verse seventeen says, Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us. And eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So trials are painful but purposeful, and God never waste suffering. Fifth, God works in all things, even the painful ones, for our good. Romans chapter eight verse twenty eight says in all things shall God works for the good of those who love him. This does not mean everything that happens is good, it means God can bring good out of what was meant for harm. In Genesis chapter fifty verse twenty, Joseph said to his brothers, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Here we see human evil is But God's redemption. six. God is near to us in suffering. He does not abandon us in pain. He draws closer. Psalms chapter thirty four verse eighteen says The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. And seven. Suffering reminds us that the world is broken and not our final home, and it points us to future glory. Romans chapter eight, verse twenty two and twenty three says the whole creation has been groaning as we wait for redemption. You ask if God could have stopped it, why didn't he? God sees more than we see. His wisdom is higher than ours. Sometimes God doesn't stop something because He sees the full story, not just the moment of pain. Isaiah chapter fifty five verses eight through nine says My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. If God stopped every painful moment, He would also be stopping our growth, our maturity, our character development, our future protection, and our future purpose. And sometimes God's no is a higher yes that we can't see yet. God allows what He will ultimately redeem. In other words, the God does not cause evil, but he does allow certain things because he intends to bring good out of them. Romans chapter eight, verse twenty-eight says, In all things God works for the good of those who love Him. This does not mean everything is good. It means God can turn what was meant for harm into Into something that serves his purpose. Also, in Genesis 50, verse 20, where Joseph says to his brothers, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, God didn't stop the betrayal, but he used it to position Joseph for destiny. God honors human free will, even when it hurts. And if God stopped every harmful choice we made, he would have to remove human freedom entirely. And Scripture shows us that human decisions have real consequences. Deuteronomy chapter thirty, verse nineteen says, I set before you life and death. Choose life. God allows people to choose and And sometimes their choices cause pain. But still, God, He never abandons us in the aftermath. God also allows temporary suffering to produce eternal strength. Some things God doesn't stop because He intends to strengthen us through them. James chapter one verse three says, The testing of your faith. Produces perseverance. And Romans chapter 8, verse 18 says, our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed. God sees the eternal outcome of temporary pain. And there are moments when God allows something painful because He is shielding us from something worse. We see this pattern in Scripture. Isaiah chapter fifty four verse seventeen says no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Weapons may form, but God will not allow them to succeed. Sometimes the pain is the interception, not the defeat. Sometimes God allows storms in our life to That reveal who He is more clearly. If God stopped every storm, we would never learn His power or His presence or His faithfulness. In Mark chapter four verse forty one, Jesus allowed the storm before he calmed it. The passage says Who is this? Even the winds and waves obey him. The disciples learned something about Jesus in the storm that they could not have learned in calm weather. God doesn't stop every painful moment, but he enters every painful moment because he is close to the brokenhearted. In Daniel chapter 3, God doesn't always stop the fire, but he always steps into it. In Daniel chapter six, God doesn't always stop the lion's den, but he always shuts the lion's mouth. And he doesn't always stop the cross, but he always brings resurrection. Our God is too wise to make a mistake, too loving to abandon us. And too powerful to let suffering have the final word. And then you ask, when something terrible happens, how do we trust God without pretending that it doesn't hurt? Scripture never asks you to minimize pain, to fake strength, or pretend you're okay. Real faith is not denial, it's dependence. You don't trust God instead of hurting. You trust God while you're hurting. Psalms chapter 62, verse 8 says, Pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us. And that means telling God the truth, admitting the hurt, acknowledging the confusion, and expressing. The disappointment. Trust begins with honesty. It means leaning on God. Psalm chapter 73, verse 26 says, My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart. That means you can fail. You can cry. You can collapse. And you can question and still trust God. Because trust is not the absence of pain, it is the decision to lean on God in pain. In Gethsemane, Jesus didn't pretend he was fine. He said, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Matthew chapter 26, verse 38. Jesus was honest. He was hurting. He was grieving. And yet he prayed, Not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22, verse 42. Jesus trusted the Father while trembling, not while pretending. Your pain does not disqualify your faith. It often deepens it. And God is closest to you. In our pain, not after it. You don't have to wait until you feel better to trust him. And our trust in him grows when we remember who God is, not when we understand what happened. Proverbs chapter 3, verse 5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Understanding is optional. Trust is relational. So we trust and choose God even when life hurts. It's us saying, even though I walk through the valley, you are with me. And here's the mystery and the mercy. God allows what He will ultimately redeem. God permits What he will eventually transform. God lets the enemy strike, but he never lets the enemy win. Jesus himself told us in John chapter 16, verse 33: In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. Trouble is guaranteed, and victory is promised. And God's presence is assured. And finally, you asked the question: Where is God when life doesn't make sense? God is right beside you, right within you, and right there holding you close to the brokenhearted. Your pain is not proof of God's absence. It is often the place where his nearness becomes undeniable. To everyone listening today, many of you are walking through storms you never asked for. Some of you are carrying grief that feels too heavy for one heart. Some of you are trying to trust God while your world feels shattered. Hear me. You do not have to pretend it doesn't hurt. Faith is not denial. Faith is endurance, and faith is holding on to God's hand even when you don't understand his plan. Let's pray. Father, we bring you our questions, our pain, our confusion, and our heartbreak. We do not hide it, we place it in your hands. Be near to this listener and every listener who feels overwhelmed. Remind them that you are good even when life is not. Remind them that you are faithful even when circumstances fail. Remind them that you are present even when you feel silent. Heal the wounds that life has carved. Restore what is broken, redeem what was lost, and breathe hope into every weary soul. In Jesus' name. Amen. To someone today, God is stepping into the places that broke you. He is touching the wounds that you thought would never heal. He is rewriting the chapters the enemy tried to destroy. He is restoring what betrayal stole. He is lifting what grief crushed. And he is strengthening what fear weakened. You will not Drown in this. You will not lose yourself in this. You will not be defined by this. God is about to show you that his goodness is stronger than your pain. Because his love is deeper than your loss. And his purpose is greater than your suffering. So hold on. Help is coming. Healing is coming. Clarity is coming, and God, the God who sees, the God who saves, the God whose days is already working behind the scenes. Thank you for joining me today on Unfiltered Faith. If you're walking through something that doesn't make sense, remember this God may allow what He will later redeem. But he will never abandon what he loves. Your story is still unfolding. Your testimony is still being written. And God is still good. And if you are carrying a weight that feels too heavy to hold, please remember that this podcast is not a substitute for professional therapy or pastoral care. Reach out. Get the support you need. You deserve that kind of care. And if you would like to send in a question or share a story with Unfiltered Faith, you can reach us at joe at unfilteredfaithpod.com. We would love to hear from you. Your testimonies and your experiences matter. They help others grow. They encourage weary hearts, and they draw people close. Closer to Jesus. Until next time, family, unfiltered faith, God is moving. So stay ready and to God be the.