Why does God, when things are bad and you ask Him to make them better, make them worse instead?

This is such a great question, and there are some difficult issues here. I’ll do my best to answer you. If you have more questions, or if we need to dig in deeper, then just ask some more, OK?

Here’s what the Bible says –

First, God hears you and answers your prayers! Check out Isaiah 65:24! God says He will answer your prayers before you even get through praying! Not all prayers have the same “yes” answer. God is totally wise, and He knows exactly what is best for you. Its important that you pray according to God’s will, and you can find that in the Bible. Sometimes He says, “Not yet.” Whether your answer is yes, no , or not yet, He hears you.

Also check out Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Job 22:27; and Psalms 28:6 and 91:15.

You’re saying that God makes things worse when you ask Him to make things better. We already know that He hears you. So now the question is: why is He making it worse? And that’s a tough question.

We have to accept – even if we can’t understand – that God is not intentionally harming us. He is not making it worse for you because you asked Him to make it better!

Let me chat about God’s love for us for a second. He loves us with an unconditional love – that means that no matter what you’ve done or not done – He loves you. The Bible speaks of God’s love for us in many places, so we know it is real. (check out Psalm 136!)

Also check out John 14:21; Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:10, 16.

Not only does He love us, but He promises to love us forever!


So why are things still worse, right?

It is absolutely not because of anything that you are doing right or wrong, OK? The reality is that bad things happen to good people. The reality is that we will get hurt, we will suffer, we will have pain and heartache. Its not because we’re bad, or not praying enough, or sinning too much, or anything at all like that. And God is not getting even with us, or doing mean and hurtful things to us. He is not “making things worse.”

What the Bible clearly does not promise is that just because you love God, obey His commands, and follow Him, that you are always going to be happy and have a pain-free life. If we read the whole Bible – not just the warm, fuzzy parts – then we see that lots of people who love God still experience pain (like Job, and how about all of the disciples?!)

What we do know is that in times of trouble, God can be your strength.

If you think you are being short-changed, take it up with God. Go ahead and let Him know you are angry. Its OK to feel like life’s not fair. Its OK to go to God with all of your feelings about it. He can handle it.

But then let Him calm your heart! He’ll always listen, and He is with you. Psalm 9:9 is a good reminder!

I hope my answer helps you understand God a little bit better. Know and trust that He loves you even when times are really difficult and painful.