As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
-John 9:1-3
In Jesus’ day the common thinking was that if you had something bad happen to you, then you had obviously done something to deserve it, or at least to bring it on yourself. Typically it was believed the negative things in our lives were the result of some sin we had committed. Now, I do not want for a moment to rule out what the Bible says about sin and the wages of it being death. Sin does have consequences. The person who goes against God and begins to live an ungodly life and doing ungodly things – that person will suffer the consequences of such reckless behavior. So often people act very surprised when their ungodly lifestyles finally catch up with them. No, what I am talking about are those things which happen simply as a result of the human experience. If a little child is diagnosed with leukemia or some other disease does that means that he or she did something to deserve it? Or did the parents do something for which the child is being punished? I do not believe that God works that way. Sometimes, quite often, in fact, terrible things just happen. But if we will trust God in the midst of them He will be glorified and we see His power and grace at work – in this fallen and sinful world.
Taken to its logical conclusion, this way of thinking would mean that every negative thing which takes place in our lives is the result of some sin – from a head cold to cancer. Here’s the bottom line on that, brethren; if God worked that way, I’d have been struck down long ago. So great are our failures that Almighty God would not trifle with us by giving us the flu; no, He would have utterly consumed us where we stood.
The scripture says, it is because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, His compassions never fail, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see (Lamentations 3: 22, 23).
People have long tried to blame themselves, one another, or God for the terrible things that happen to us in life. Jesus shows us that sometimes these things just happen, and if we are faithful God will be glorified and we will see His power and grace – up close and personal.
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