Even Good People Can Have Bad Experiences

Luke 1:6
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
Luke 1:7
But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth are presented to us as excellent people. They are righteous before God. They observe all of God’s commandments. They even observe the Lord’s decrees blamelessly. How good can a person be? Yet though they were this good, the Bible tells us they were childless. Even good people can have bad experiences!

They were childless because they were expected to have children but they couldn’t. Societal pressure, disappointment, and private pain are what these good people were nursing. They were good. They were blameless. They pleased God. But they were childless. Even good people can have bad experiences!

The Bible tells us that they were very old. Not just old, but very old. That means they were coming towards the end of their lives. For all their lives they had been faithful to God. For all their lives they were righteous in the sight of God. For all their lives they blamelessly observed the commandments and decrees of God. For all their lives they were good. But it is also true that for all their lives they had a prayer that had not been answered, the prayer for a child. For all their lives unto now, they were childless. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Bad things can happen to us because we are bad people, or we are in a bad place, or both. When we are bad, bad things happen to us, as punishment and God’s displeasure. However, bad things can also happen because we are in a world of sin, we are in a bad place. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not bad people, but they were in a bad place, a world of sin. Because we are all in a world of sin which is a bad place, bad things can happen to any of us whether we are good or bad. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Job 1:1
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

Job suffered a lot. Job did not suffer a lack of Children like Zechariah and Elizabeth. Job suffered the loss of all wealth, loss of children, and even loss of health and support of his wife. Yet the Bible begins the story of Job by telling us that he was a very good man. Job was not just good in his own estimation. Job, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, was good by divine standards. But from Job, we also learn that being good but being in a bad place, this sinful world, does not prevent bad things from happening. Even good people can have bad experiences!

First, when we read both stories further on, we discover that good people may have bad experiences but eventually, God will save them from those terrible situations. Job was saved from his losses. Zechariah and Elizabeth got a child, a powerful unforgettable effective child in their old age. When good people have bad experiences, the experience may take long but not forever, someday God will fix things to His own glory. Even good people can have bad experiences!

The reason why this world has to end and we go to a new heaven and new earth is because this is a bad place and bad things will keep happening unless God destroys this evil world. Some bad things will have permanent effects until when God brings eternal life at the end of this one. Abel a good man was killed by Cain a bad man. That is permanent for now until resurrection day. Stephen a good man was killed and that is permanent for now until resurrection day. Bad things can happen to good people but a better day is coming when all things shall be fixed by God and made new. For now, both good and bad people can suffer bad experiences. Even good people can have bad experiences!

When good people suffer bad experiences, it reminds us that we’re not saved by what we do. God does not save us because we are good, but because He is good. We cannot demand from God that He saves us because we are good. Even good people know that they are not really good. Good people know that when they are good or God refers to them as good, it is because God is just gracious. There is no good person who demanded a better life because he or she was good. We have no good that can warrant us to demand anything from God. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Good people who live very healthy lives can die of diseases that should kill those who live carelessly. Good drivers can die in terrible accidents that are not because of their own fault. Good people with excellent performance and success can be denied the opportunity to serve where they deserve. Good people can end up in bad relationships. Good people with a keen financial focus can suffer losses they didn’t initiate. Prayerful people unlike others may have a prayer that has not been answered. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Good people who are very careful about Covid-19 may end up getting infected in a situation that is not their fault nor avoidable, yet some careless people who flout the rules go uninfected. Single people living a chaste life can end up single for many years, while randy characters get married in a very short time. This is not always the case but it happens. Careless people who do not perform at work and all they do is pamper the Boss stay longer and happier than people who are productive and useful. Being good and excellent does not guarantee happiness, the bad people may even be happier. Hardworking people may end up in poverty at old age while some lazy characters get lucky and live happier and better. That is how the world is. Yet we shouldn’t be attracted to being bad, but should remain good for God’s sake. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Therefore, when we suffer bad experiences we first need to examine ourselves if it is a result of sin, we repent and ask for forgiveness. God has promised that He will forgive us. Secondly, we should have an attitude that we shouldn’t be suffering because we are good. That attitude of entitlement is not biblical. Thirdly, we should look unto God and wait for His salvation. He will save us from this terrible situation. Fourth, we shouldn’t lose faith in God because we are suffering. Our goodness is not a payment to earn good life, but a commitment to God. We are committed to God under all circumstances. Fifthly we should frequently pray that “May Your kingdom come.” God’s kingdom restored on earth is the ultimate solution to all bad experiences. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Jesus was God and man. Jesus was a perfect man. Jesus was very good. Yet Jesus suffered and died on the cross for what He never did. In this world, being good will not save you from bad situations. Being good should only be because you enjoy your relationship with God. Never be good to evade trouble, you will not. Be good because you love God, so that no experience will change your love for God. You will love God even if all your experiences are bad. Even good people can have bad experiences!

Dear God, save me from being discouraged by bad experiences that I go through. May I like saints of old remain faithful even when in goodness I suffer bad experiences, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

1. Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on notification and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
2. Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
3. Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/