I have a confession to make. Spiritual cliches are one of my pet peeves. While I could rattle off a number of cliches that drive me crazy, there is one that stands above the rest. It’s the phrase, “Everything happens for a reason.” That phrase is like nails down a chalkboard for me because it’s often used as a way to minimize pain. It makes God the author of all sorts of evil that is outside of his character. And because it simply isn’t true in the way the phrase is often used.
Where does the idea “Everything happens for a reason” come from? I think in part it comes from stories in the Scripture where God uses painful situations for his glory and good. I think of the phrase Joseph uttered at the end of Genesis. He said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Gen. 50:20) It’s true that God did use Joseph getting sold into slavery to preserve the nation of Israel, but the story is intended to be read as descriptive, not prescriptive. There are thousands of people sold into slavery every day and very few of them ever end up saving a whole nation. Therefore, what God did through Joseph would not directly apply to them.
The phrase is also loosely based on the biblical truth that Paul stated in his letter to the Romans. He wrote, “And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) However, if we read what Paul is saying, he’s claiming that not everything that happens is originally good – if it were, God wouldn’t need to work it for good. To untangle Paul’s statement from our common cliche, it might be better said that “God makes reason out of all things.” Rather than attributing evil things that happen to God, it might be more biblical to look for God amid the evil to see the way he is working for good even in the hard and painful things.
There is truth to the statement that “Everything happens for a reason,” but not in the way we normally mean it. Everything does happen for a reason, but sometimes the reason is that God has given human and spiritual beings freedom. (Gen 3) Sometimes the reason is that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Pt. 5:8) Sometimes the reason is that we live in a sinful and broken world. (Rom. 8:19-21) Sometimes the reason is that we and others make bad decisions that don’t align with the way of Jesus. While everything might happen for a reason, God doesn’t always design or cause the reason. Many times he works despite the reason for his purposes.
For full disclosure, I should tell you that I am writing this devotion from a hospital room. We are on day three of waiting to see what’s going on with my daughter’s health.* When my daughter was in writhing pain Monday night, I didn’t say to her, “Everything happens for a reason.” I prayed for her and asked our Father, whom we call Yahweh Rapha, to heal her body. While God rarely causes sickness, I do believe God meets us in a special way when we’re suffering. So, we are on the lookout for ways Jesus might make meaning and good out of something that is not; and we are asking that his will be done in this hospital room as it is in heaven.
Today, pray God’s will be done in your life, and then look for ways that he invites you to follow him as he answers that prayer.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
*Note: While our daughter was in the hospital when today’s devotional was written, we want you to know that Avery is home and doing well now. Thank you so much for your concern and prayers. It is deeply felt and much appreciated.