Question: Life sometimes seems hard or downright unfair. I can’t help but wonder why, if God loves me, He doesn’t intervene and change things for me.
Answer: God loves each and every one of us and He wants us to love Him and live close to Him. He also has a plan for each of us that He knows will bring out the best in us and be best for us in the long run.
God didn’t promise us that the Christian life would be easy or problem-free. In fact, Jesus told us to expect challenges and difficulties. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our times of challenges and struggles are meant to strengthen our faith, as we allow them to draw us closer to Him (1 Peter 1:6–7).
He works differently in each of our hearts and lives because we’re all different and He knows what will best accomplish His purpose in each of us. It’s all to the same end, though. He wants us to recognize that we are insufficient in ourselves and that we need Him; then we will seek His will above our own.
Some people face physical challenges that He uses to draw them closer to Him. Others may have good health, but suffer some other loss, which motivates them to reach out to Him to fill that void. Some people may experience prosperity, power, or recognition in this world, only to discover that these can be heavy burdens that will never satisfy their deepest need, and this causes the bearers to turn to God for help through prayer and reading His Word.
As Christians, He works through everything we experience, and these things don’t always seem fair or equal. But whatever you experience in your life, do not forget that Jesus loves you. If God goes to the trouble of numbering the hairs of your head, as Jesus said He does (Matthew 10:30), He’s clearly concerned about you.
The next time you go through an especially hard time or life seems unfair, seek the Lord through His Word. Tell God that you love Him no matter what, and that you’re counting on Him to cause all things to work together for your good, as His Word promises (Romans 8:28). God will never leave you or forsake you.