The Eyes Of The Lord

The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.

1 Peter 3:12

WHY DO BAD things happen to good people? Chances are good you’ve pondered that question once or twice in recent years. Most Christians wrestle with the reality of pain and suffering in the world. We struggle to understand why those who try to help others and do the right thing so often find themselves in difficult times—and we especially struggle to understand when the same thing happens to us.

There’s another question that bugs us from time to time, isn’t there? Why do good things happen to bad people? At some level we can understand that the trials of life produce character in those who suffer through them (see James 1:2-4), but what about those times when wicked people prosper? What good can come from cheaters and liars who seem to rise higher and higher each day on the wings of their own greed?

Peter’s words in this verse offer comfort in the face of such big questions. “The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right” and “the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.” That’s a promise from God’s Word. We may not always understand how that promise works itself out, but we can have confidence that God’s open ears mean he wants to hear from us. We don’t have to strain to get God’s attention.

We can rest assured that God works against those who do evil, even if they appear to be “getting away with murder” in the short run. Even if evil is used against us personally, we know that God will work it for our good in the long run, so we need not be the judge or the avenger. God is quite capable of handling those roles.