Tuesday 11
February 2003
Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
By: Ronald W. Tucker B.
Presidente de la Junta Directiva de la Iglesia Bautista Internacional
4000 years ago in the land of Uz there lived a man named Job. All who knew him respected him, and he
became a leader in his community. The Lord God said he was blameless and upright, a man who feared God and
shunned evil.
One day calamity struck. One after another reports came in of tremendous
losses to all of Job’s property, and the final blow came when all of his
children were killed. Job was bewildered. He had no idea why these
things had happened to him (but we know, because God has revealed it to us).
Job’s wife advised him to curse God and die.
Then Job’s associates came to comfort him. Poor comforters they were. With little or no compassion or
sympathy, they assured Job, quite incorrectly, that he
was being punished for his sin. Job knew that they
were wrong, but there was no one who would give Job
the benefit of the doubt. Job’s only recourse was his
firm trust that God was in control, and that he would
one day see Him face to face.
In our Costa Rica of 2003 we have a situation that
reminds us of Job. For 18 years a C. R. businessman
has determined that with God’s help he would live an
upright life. His public baptism was witness to this.
His desire was to love God, to follow the teaching of
His Word, and to serve his fellow men.
One of his businesses involved accepting loans from
friends, and repaying them with monthly interest or
allowing their interest to accumulate. He was most
generous with his investors, but even more, he was
extremely supportive of many Costa Rican churches,
missions, benevolent organizations and needy people.
Seldom was his name mentioned or even known.
Then one day calamity struck. Officials raided his
office, seized records, and froze his bank accounts.
He had not committed any offence, so he was
bewildered. For three months he struggled
successfully to meet his obligations, while the
authorities struggled futilely to build a case against
him, because he was blameless and upright. He loved
God and shunned evil.
Then word came of an impending second raid, and he was
forced to abandon his business, and seek a place of
refuge. He has never abandoned his belief that God
is in control, though he undoubtedly finds his
circumstances very difficult. But through reading the
Word and spending time in communion with the Lord, he
knows that in the end he will be vindicated.
The sad thing for us is the effect that the
government’s actions have had on innocent citizens and
residents of Costa Rica. First of all, he had to
dismiss his 300 employees. They have had to struggle
to find jobs, and to pay their bills. Secondly,
several thousand investors were suddenly without
monthly income. They too have had to dismiss
employees, and cut out all spending except for
absolute essentials. Stores and restaurants have
already noticed that they have lost customers. Some
foreigners have had to leave the country taking their
business with them. Our neighboring countries have
welcomed large numbers of these folks. Some people
have begun to speak badly about Costa Rica both here and abroad.
Why do bad things happen to good people? The question
is often very difficult to answer. In this case,
jealousy from certain leaders in government and
banking circles motivated the attacks. Because of his
integrity, he was characterized as a religious
fanatic, a Bible-believing Baptist who used religion
as a tool to deceive greedy fools. Satan has many
techniques to try to knock down anyone who stands up
for Jesus.
Those of us who have known Luis Enrique Villalobos
Camacho for years, as I have, thank God for his
devotion to the Lord Jesus, and his benevolence to the
people of Costa Rica. He is a deacon and a valued
member of the Iglesia Bautista Internacional and we
look forward to the day when he will be able to resume
his seat, fully vindicated of all the charges against
him.
Thank God for don Enrique. Pray that our brother will
not weary or grow faint in the oppression he is
suffering, that the joy of the Lord will be his
strength. Spread the truth to everyone you meet. The
attack is really an attack against the Church of
Christ, and WE KNOW that the gates of hell will not
prevail against us!
Ronald W. Tucker B.
Presidente de la Junta Directiva
de la Iglesia Bautista Internacional
Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Ron Tucker
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