When a believer learned that he had tuberculosis, he broke down and said, “Why God punished me like this? What have I done deserving this?”
While believers are falling ill or facing lots of problems, they are feeling that God is punishing them for their past sins. They are strongly thinking God is responsible for their problems and illness. So they lament, “Why me? There are many people out there who have committed more sins than I did. Why God punished me, and let them off?”
These are versions of believers who fall ill and face adversities. Now let us see, are personal adversities really a punishment from God?
The answer is NO. NOT AT ALL.
In fact, God isn’t responsible for our problems and illness. Faithful believers have experienced Adversity.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil - Mt. 4:1.
See, God didn’t tempt Jesus, but Satan.
The Bible reports about a man named Job. Without warning, he suddenly lost his wealth. Next, all ten of his children were killed in a windstorm. Soon thereafter, he was struck with a debilitating, loathsome disease. (Job 1:13-19; 2:7, 8) Such adversities led Job to cry out: “The hand of God has struck me down.” (Job 19:21, Today’s English Version) Evidently, like many today, Job felt that God was punishing him.
However, the Bible reveals that before Job’s trials began, God himself had described Job as “a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from bad.” (Job 1:8) In view of this expression of divine approval, it is clear that Job’s adversities were not a punishment from God.
The fact is the Bible is filled with accounts of upright individuals who faced personal adversities. Although he was a loyal servant of God, Joseph endured years of unjust imprisonment. (Genesis 39:10-20; 40:15) The faithful Christian Timothy suffered from “frequent cases of sickness.” (1 Timothy 5:23) Even Jesus Christ, who never did wrong, was cruelly mistreated before suffering an agonizing death. (1 Peter 2:21-24) Hence, it is a mistake to conclude that adversity must be an expression of God’s displeasure.
Satan the Devil was the cause of the chief source of our problems today when it states: “Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.” (Revelation 12:12)
As “the ruler of this world,” Satan has influenced many to engage in evil acts that have resulted in untold misery and heartache.—John 12:31; Psalm 37:12, 14.*
Does this mean, then, that we will always be plagued with adversity?
NO.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted {by Satan} beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it - 1Co. 10:13.
Because he{Jesus} himself suffered when he was tempted{by Satan}, he is able
to help those who are being tempted - He. 2:18.
All Adversity Soon to End
God will bring an end to all adversity very soon. (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 1:3; 21:3, 4) In the meantime, he shows that he really cares for us by providing “instruction” and “comfort from the Scriptures” so that we can cope with trials now as we look forward to that wonderful future just ahead. (Romans 15:4; 1 Peter 5:7) At that time, those who are upright in God’s eyes will enjoy unending life in a new world, free from every form of adversity.—Psalm 37:29, 37.
Well, there are a few believers who think in a different way:
They say, “Maybe my parents committed sin against God. So God punished me.”
This is not right. We’re not in the Old Testament times; we’re in New Testament times. God doesn’t punish children because of parents’ sins, nor does he punish us for our sins. So erase the thought in your mind.
ONE MORE THING: We should not, however, be quick to blame the Devil for every adversity we experience. As a result of inherited sin and imperfection, we are prone to make unwise decisions that can cause us problems - Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12.
For example, imagine a man who by choice neither eats properly nor gets sufficient rest. If this eventually leads to serious health problems, should he blame the Devil? No, the man has merely reaped the bitter consequences of his own poor judgment. (Galatians 6:7) In such an instance, it is just as a Bible proverb puts it: “A man’s own folly wrecks his life.”—Proverbs 19:3.
God set us free. We shouldn’t use the freedom to wreck our life with bad habits.
