Why Bad Things Happen: A Call Back to God (Part 2)

Why Bad Things Happen: A Call Back to God (Part 2)

People often ask, “Why do bad things happen to us?” The instinct is to assume guilt — that suffering must be punishment, that hardship must be the result of sin. But Jesus corrected this thinking directly. When His disciples asked why a man was born blind, He answered:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned.”

(John 9:3)

In other words, not all suffering is the result of wrongdoing. Sometimes hardship is a sign — a reminder — that we have drifted into self‑reliance. When life becomes too easy, too predictable, too comfortable, we forget the One who sustains us. Scripture shows this pattern again and again: prosperity leads to pride, and pride leads to forgetting God.

So when something difficult happens, it may not be punishment at all. It may be a wake‑up call. A nudge back toward dependence on the One who gives life, breath, and purpose.

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Mary: The Model of Dependence and Obedience

If Scripture gives us one human example of perfect dependence on God, it is Mary, the Mother of God. When the angel Gabriel announced a mission that would change the world, Mary didn’t rely on her own strength or understanding. She simply said:

“Be it done unto me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

That single sentence is the purest expression of obedience and trust ever spoken. Mary didn’t know the full path ahead. She didn’t know the suffering she would endure. She didn’t know the cost. But she knew who was asking.

Her “yes” is the antidote to the pride that leads us astray. Her obedience is the model for every believer who wants to walk with God rather than drift into self‑sufficiency.

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A Parable of Sin: The Prison With an Open Door

To explain the danger of spiritual complacency, I often use an analogy — one that mirrors the style of Jesus’ parables, simple yet piercing.

Sin is like a prison with the door wide open.

Inside, everything feels comfortable. The room is spacious. The bed is soft. There’s a corner library, WiFi, good food, free health care, and a computer. Nothing feels threatening. Nothing feels dangerous. In fact, it feels like home.

You can walk in and out whenever you want. The comfort is so complete that you forget you’re even in a cell. You stop noticing the bars. You stop thinking about freedom. You stop thinking about God.

But one day — without warning — the door closes. Permanently.

And the comfort that kept you numb becomes the trap that keeps you in.

That is how the devil works. Not by frightening you. Not by showing you horns and fire. But by giving you everything you think you want so you stop wanting God.

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The Devil’s Strategy: Soft Chains, Not Hard Ones

The devil is intelligent. He knows fear pushes people toward God. So he uses the opposite. He uses comfort. He uses success. He uses luxury. He uses admiration. He uses the illusion of control.

He whispers:

“You’re doing fine on your own.”

“You don’t need God.”

“You built this life yourself.”

“You deserve more.”

People see this comfort — the money, the status, the lifestyle — and they begin to desire it. They begin to chase it. They begin to envy it. Before long, the blessings of God are replaced with the idols of the world.

Scripture warns:

“You cannot serve God and mammon.”

(Matthew 6:24)

But the devil’s plan is to make mammon look irresistible. To make dependence on God look unnecessary. To make obedience look outdated. To make holiness look inconvenient.

And slowly, quietly, without realizing it, people walk into the comfortable prison and close the door behind themselves.

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The Call Back to God

Bad things do not always happen because we sinned. Sometimes they happen because God is calling us back. Because He sees us drifting. Because He knows comfort can harden the heart. Because He loves us too much to let us sleepwalk into spiritual death.

Suffering becomes the alarm clock.

Dependence becomes the cure.

Obedience becomes the path home.

Mary becomes the example.

And Jesus becomes the destination.