In not For

1Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus". 

Notice what it says - it says give thanks IN all things not for all things. That is a huge difference! We don't give thanks to Father God for that loss of a job, for that cancer diagnosis, for that bad accident, etc. NO! We give our thanks to Father God in and during those hard and difficult situations. When we can shift our focus off of that difficult situation and why it is happening to us and back to the One who loves us and created us, then we can truly give thanks because our situation does not change the fact that Jesus is still on His throne and is still interceding for us with Father God. When we shift our focus, then, I believe, we will truly see how God can use and turn that situation into one that brings Him the glory, honor and praise.

Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

James 1:17 says "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

1 John 1:5 says "God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.” 

So why do bad things happen? If God is good, why does he let His children go through these trials that sometimes feel like we are being crushed? 

Here's a reason I believe He allows these things to happen - because we live in a fallen world. 

Because Adam and Eve allowed satan to lead them away from Father God, we are born into a sinful and fallen world. Yes, I know and believe that God could stop every bad thing from happening, but why should He? We (through Adam) made our decision to do things our own way, and God is allowing us to live with the consequences of those decisions. Thankfully, He did not leave us here without a way back to Him! He gave us Jesus, His Holy Spirit and His Word (the Bible) to help us navigate through this world until He calls us home to be with Him in eternity. 

I found this website that talks about the goodness of God, and I encourage you to take the time to read it as well.