We all wonder why bad things happen. But one thing is sure—bad things are not sent from heaven to teach us a lesson. Bad things happen for multiple reasons, and only the Holy Spirit can reveal the source of trouble in any particular situation.

One look at the environment in which God originally placed Adam and Eve tells us death and destruction do not reflect God’s intention for us. God prepared for them a wonderful garden. But bad things happened there because of their disobedience. It started there, and all of creation became subject to corruption at that point (Romans 8:20-21).

What is obvious is that the source for all that is bad can always be tracked back to Satan. He has always been the thief, killer and destroyer (John 10:10). When man stepped out from God’s protection through disobedience, Satan attacked.

So why does it look sometimes as if God brings bad circumstances in order to get our attention? Or that it must have been God because, in the end, some good came from the situation?

One reason is in those circumstances, it’s not uncommon for us to give more attention to God and His Word. In bad situations most of us seek insight, correction and deliverance. We learn from the trouble, but that doesn’t mean God brought it. It just means He turned the bad situation around for His good (Romans 8:28). God’s way of instruction and training is by His Word and the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 16:13; 2 Timothy 3:6-17). God corrects those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6-9), but He doesn’t do it with death and destruction. He does it with His Word. Don’t hesitate for one moment to believe the best of Him!