As far as I am spiritually able to discern at this point in my walk with the Lord, God brings, or allows if you will, certain things to occur in our lives for one of two reasons, either to help us grow in the grace and knowledge of Him, (2 Peter 3:18) or because we have sinned, and not repented of that sin. There is a third option, but I will leave that to those who still believe in luck, chance, and coincidences, none of which should enter into the context in this area in the mind of the born-again believer.
Everything then must be counted into the equation here, both negative and positive occurrences, and along with that, we must be able to discern, in either case, is there ever a negative impact. “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” (Psalm 91:10) God sent an evil spirit upon Saul, (1 Sam. 19:9) He Himself says, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7) But in the context of those negative items that occur to us, can they ever be considered evil.
Temptations cannot be counted here, for the Lord tempts no one, (James 1:13) but He does test, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jer. 17:10) Which, when taken as a whole along with other truths in the Word of God, has brought me to this current conclusion, that everything that happens to us is for one of those two reasons, His glory, or our unrepented of sin. If the sin is repented of, then again, it is for His glory, but if not, then Hebrews 12:6 is in effect, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”
You must be able to discern this one item in both cases, is the Lord always behaving out of a continuous love for you, does He have your best interest in mind continuously, along with the glory of His name.
I would like you to notice something about yourself here, from the beginning of this short, poorly written letter to you, once you recognized the topic, you began to think of past instances, past things that have happened in your life that were of a negative nature, that were disadvantages to you, that caused pain, suffering, or sorrow, not the “happy” moments of your life. I say this because when wonderful things come into our lives, we praise His name, but not always when the detrimental arrives. The birth of a healthy child, compared to the phone call informing us of the death of a loved one, happiness compared to sorrow, strength compared to pain.
Our instantaneous reaction is not in question here, for how long we remain in the negative emotional state is, for if the two reasons stated, for His glory or because of an unrepented sin in our lives, stand as truth, then we are never able to say, “I do not understand why God is allowing this to happen to me.” Those who are not called, those who are not chosen, who are not walking toward the narrow gate (Matt. 7:14) live a life of superstition, of uninformed ideologies that have no basis or merit, and so they will rely on luck, chance, or coincidence, we cannot, and never should.
If you have been crucified with Christ, then your life is being directed by Christ, for His glory, and everything that arrives in your life, whether it is seen in your eyes as negative or positive, He is to receive praise and honor for. We are not puppets on a string, we have free will, we can make choices, but every choice we make has a consequence, and some of those consequences will last throughout eternity. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Rev. 22:12) That includes our response to what the Lord has allowed to enter into our lives, if it is accepted in praise, or rebelled against because it is not welcomed by us. Our character and integrity is on display, and it should never be modified for pain or suffering, happiness will depart from you for short periods of time, your joy never should.
