If God loves us, why do bad things happen? This might be a question you are wrestling with right now if you are walking through some difficult things. It’s important not to believe the lie that God doesn’t love you—because he does.
He loves you so much; the original plan of God for mankind didn’t include you experiencing hurt and pain. Instead, God’s plan of redemption shows his heart for his people and how God works all things together for good… even the most painful.
God will redeem all things. Since you are his child, he can use the bad things that happen to you to help others, to make you more like him, to teach you and refine you, to give you deep heart transformation and to grow your relationship with him—all for your good and to glorify him, which is his greatest purpose for you.
When you long for his purposes in your life, you can see that no matter what is happening he is working all things out for your good. That’s the perspective you need to have.
What Is God’s Plan?
The plan of God is always good, and he always has good. This is because he is a good God.
When you seek his purposes in your life, you will see this. His purpose doesn’t always include you getting what you want, because he sees the bigger picture. What you think you want might be bad for you.
When you really want what he wants, his goodness looks different. He prunes you through it.
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:2, NIV)
This pruning includes heart transformation, as he cares about your heart so much. Your motives and intentions come from the heart… your inner strength and your ability to walk in the truth of who he created you to be. It’s being more like him, growing in the fruits of the Spirit, etc. These changes in you come out of hard things.
What Is the Meaning of Redemption
The meaning of redemption in the Bible is that God has rescued you from your sin. Sin is what separates you from God. God sent his son Jesus to take your place on the cross so you don’t have to suffer what you deserve.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
When you were separated from God he couldn’t make things right for you. He wanted to, though, so he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for you—so he can now have a relationship with you if you choose.
When bad things happen, God is now in your life and uses these experiences for your good. He knows the preparation and shaping you need to fulfill his purposes in your life.
These experiences shape you in ways that you never imagined. It allows you to draw closer to him and see the immense love he has for you as he moves in your heart to change you and strengthen you.
God’s Plan of Redemption
Adam and Eve, the first humans, chose to sin; therefore, as descendants of them, the human race is all born into this sinful nature.
But you can make a decision to change things and not live a life of continuing sin. You can be reunited with your creator, who welcomes you with open arms no matter what you have done. God always had a plan in place to redeem the world because he loves it, and you, so much.
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” (Galatians 4:4-5, NIV)
Knowing this shows you he always has good and that allows you to love God, love yourself and love people. He has always been thinking about you, sees you, and has the best for you. Despite the difficult things that you have to walk through, God works all things out for the good.
Letting God in your life, allowing him to transform you through these experiences, and not allowing yourself to give in to discouragement or weariness from the enemy produces good fruit in you.
When you seek to find happiness and joy through money, power or fame, you will not feel satisfied or content in this life. But when you seek God and grow to be more like him, you will find happiness, joy and contentment, knowing you lived this life well.
You can overcome the things that happened to you when you know what he is doing through these times. You can know he redeemed you and that he redeems all things when you are seeking his purposes.
God Works All Things Together for Good
Paul says that God works all things together for good.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV)
God’s plan of redemption really demonstrates this. If you need to know that God works all things together for good, I want to remind you of God’s plan of redemption. It will allow you to know that God can use all things for the good and he always has good for you. Your story will read that way too, even if it doesn’t look that way right now.
Jesus’s Birth
God always had a plan when he knew sin would enter the world. The whole Bible leads up to these events taking place. First, the birth of Jesus, when God sent down his son to be born as a human.
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11, NIV)
His birth gave hope of the good things God had. He was born through the lineage of families who endured many bad things, showing that God brings good things even in pain and suffering.
Jesus himself experienced much pain as a human, which he didn’t have to as God… but that is how much he loved you and wanted you to know his goodness.
Jesus’s Death
Jesus’s purpose was to come down to Earth to die for our sins from the beginning of time. It was part of God’s plan of redemption.
“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:46, NIV)
Redemption through the blood of Jesus was the only way. This redeemed you from your sins to allow you to have a relationship with God. His pain and hardships were great on Earth but you can see it was all for good: the good of redeeming you and showing you how much he loves you.
When you focus on this, you can remember that God works all things together for good. His purposes are the best, not yours.
Jesus’s Resurrection
God’s plan of redemption continues with Jesus’s resurrection.
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:6, NIV)
Jesus rising from the dead gave you God’s power, the Holy Spirit, to live within you. He gives you victory over the enemy as you walk in his power.
Jesus was not defeated, and can’t be. Now you stand with him and you can’t be defeated either, if you so choose.
Your story can have an ending that is good, despite the hard things you are enduring. You can trust God for that. When you desire his purposes, he always has good. It might not look good to the outside world—giving you the best car, house or high salary—but if you are truly seeking God’s purposes then what he is doing within you is far more valuable than the earthly things you can receive. This was God’s perfect plan to restore mankind.
When you deeply desire the purposes of God, you can see God works all things together for good like it says in Romans 8:28. God’s plan of redemption reminds you of this. He sent his son Jesus to come down to Earth, then he died for us and was resurrected.
God has good in all things for you, even in the bad things that are happening. There is a bigger picture that you don’t see… but he does, and he is making all things work out for your good.