#240: Is God Unfair?

The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

This afternoon I had an interesting discussion with my two teenage daughters. I asked them the question: Is God unfair? This is an important question for them to wrestle with as they work out their faith in God. But what about you?

Have you ever wondered about the fairness of God? The same week you get laid of of your job, your friend gets a promotion on his job. Your Dad receives a doctor’s report that his cancer has returned, but someone else you know get’s a good report. Maybe your child is struggling in school, but someone else’s child in on the honor roll.

Sometimes we pray and God doesn’t respond the way we think he should. So, we might be tempted to think God is not fair. Maybe you’ve been tempted to think God loves some people but he doesn’t love you. He answers some people’s prayers, but he doesn’t answer yours.

So what does the Bible say? Is God unfair?

Acts 10:34 and Romans 2:11 both say God shows no partiality. 1 Peter 1:17 says, “God judges impartially according to each one's deeds.”

I know, I know…you might be thinking. We’ll that’s what the Bible says, but I’m not sure that’s what I am experiencing. I’ve had those same feelings, but here’s what helps me.

We cannot interpret God through the circumstances we see in this life. It is not our place to evaluate God. We are not his judge.

We must remember that we have such a limited perspective. Our finite minds cannot completely understand an infinite God.

Isaiah 55:8-9 - ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

It’s so important to understand our frailty. He is God. We are not. He see it all and understands it all. We do not. This is why we have faith. If you knew everything about God, you wouldn’t need faith. Knowledge would be sufficient. But since we are incapable of knowing it all, we trust. We put our faith in a God who does know it all.

This life will not always make sense to us. If you are wrestling today with the idea of fairness, you are sure to be disappointed. From our perspective sickness isn’t fair. Loss isn’t fair. Depression isn’t fair. Being in debt isn’t fair.

Job had it right when he expressed in Job 1:21, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”

What I must do when I am challenged with the idea of fairness is to make a decision. Not everything is within my power, but to make a decision, that is something I can do.

I can choose to focus on what I perceive to be unfair. I can choose to focus on what I don’t have and what I don’t like. I can choose to be discouraged about what I don’t understand about God. All that is within my power.

Or, I can make a different choice. I can choose to focus on what I know to be true about God. I can focus on his attributes. I can remember that he is holy, he is powerful, he is loving, he is good, he is faithful, and he will never leave me or forsake me.

I can also choose to be grateful. Gratitude produces a tremendous power to reframe our focus and perspective. It changes not only what we see, but it also changes how we feel.

Today, you may be in the midst of a difficult season, in which life, and God don’t seem to make sense. I don’t discount your feelings. But here’s my hope for you. Choose today to let go of the unanswered questions and focus on what you know to be true about God. He is good. He is faithful. And he loves you with an eternal love.

Today’s Challenge: Recognize you are incapable of understanding why and how God does what he does. Choose to believe that his love for you is unending and that his presence and power will sustain you through anything life brings your way.