When Bad Things Happen to Good People: Part 4 - Pastor Mark Crawford (07/26/26)

Psalm 34:19 gives two truths that carry the whole burden: many are the afflictions of the righteous, and the Lord delivers out of them all. Bad things happen to good people, and righteous people ought not be shocked when hard times show up. God often brings purpose through pain, and Job shows what faith looks like when life does not make sense. Job worshiped God in the middle of the pain, not after the trial was over, and his confession still stands: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The question then turns from bad things happening to good people to good things happening to bad people. The danger sits in the shift of focus. The righteous person can start looking at Sam and Sally, seeing the boats, vacations, clothes, cars, and “best life,” while forgetting that social media is only a highlight reel. The enemy uses that kind of looking to pull attention away from God’s purpose and toward comparison, envy, and discontent.

Job and Jeremiah both asked why the wicked prosper, so the question itself is not strange. God’s answer begins with mercy. God is merciful to everybody, and the righteous person must remember that divine patience once held back judgment during that person’s own mess. Second Peter 3:9 declares that God is not slow, but patient, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. The mercy that saved one sinner is the same mercy extended toward another.

Psalm 73 gives the clearest warning through Asaph. Asaph looked too long at the prosperity of the wicked, and his feet almost slipped. The sanctuary corrected his vision by showing him their final destination. The broad road may look smooth, green, and pretty, but it still leads to destruction. The straight and narrow way may require surrender, but it leads to life.

True blessing cannot be measured by abundance of possessions. Christ warns that life does not consist in stuff, and the kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Money can buy houses, cars, and vacations, but it cannot buy peace. God makes rich and adds no sorrow, while the wicked have no real peace.

Contentment becomes a holy guardrail. The person in God is already blessed, already holding what Bill Gates and Elon Musk cannot buy. Gratitude keeps the heart from competing with the Joneses, and focus keeps the soul steady. God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly, but a heart fixed on Him must learn to thank Him right where it stands.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Mercy waits before judgment falls God’s patience toward the ungodly is not weakness, delay, or unfairness. Mercy held back destruction when every sinner was still “riding in mess,” and that same mercy gives others space to repent. The righteous heart does not pray for God to “get them,” but asks God to save, turn, and restore before judgment comes. [24:51]
• 2. Highlight reels can bend desire Social media shows the best clips, not the whole game. A life can look blessed on camera while pain, sin, debt, fighting, and emptiness sit off camera. The heart that stares too long at another person’s edited life may start despising the real mercy God has already placed in its own hands. [18:33]
• 3. Slippery ground can look smooth Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked and almost lost his footing. The sanctuary gave him the missing piece: the road may look easy now, but its destination matters. Sin can decorate the path with pleasure, but God exposes where that path finally goes. [27:55]
• 4. True blessing cannot be bought The abundance of things is a poor measure of blessing. God gives righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, and those treasures do not come from money, vacations, status, or possessions. A person may have plenty and no rest, while another may have little and still carry the peace that passes understanding. [35:12]
• 5. Contentment protects future blessing Comparison pushes the soul into competition, but gratitude steadies it before God. A person who can thank God for today’s house, today’s car, today’s provision, and today’s peace is being guarded from restless striving. God can bless immensely, but the heart must not trade faithfulness for the pressure to keep up with somebody else. [51:25]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [14:29] - Bad Things and Adult Prayers
• [15:11] - Two Truths from Psalm 34
• [16:53] - Job Worshiped in the Pain
• [17:32] - When Good Things Happen to Bad People
• [18:33] - Social Media Shows Highlight Reels
• [23:26] - God Is Merciful to Everybody
• [27:55] - Asaph Almost Slipped
• [29:36] - The Final Destination Matters
• [35:12] - True Blessings Cannot Be Bought
• [38:03] - Fakebook and Comparison
• [42:07] - Follow Godly Examples
• [45:08] - Already Blessed in Christ
• [48:10] - Guarding the Spirit from Competition
• [53:39] - Focused on God, Blessed Immensely

1. In Psalm 34:19, what are the two truths held together about the righteous and affliction?
2. In Job 1:21, what does Job say about what the Lord gives, what the Lord takes, and how he responds in the middle of loss? [16:55]
3. According to Psalm 73:2-3, what nearly caused Asaph to slip? [28:30]
4. What are some specific examples of “highlight reel” living that can stir up comparison and envy? [18:33]

1. Psalm 34:19 says the righteous will have many afflictions, but the Lord delivers out of them all. How does that verse help explain why faithful people should not be shocked by hard seasons? [15:37]
2. Job blessed the name of the Lord before his situation changed. What does that show about the kind of worship God desires when life does not make sense? [16:55]
3. Second Peter 3:9 says God is patient and wants people to come to repentance. How does that reshape the way a believer looks at people who seem to be prospering while living far from God? [25:21]
4. Asaph’s understanding changed when he entered the sanctuary and saw the final destination of the wicked. Why does remembering the end of the road matter when the road itself looks easy and attractive? [29:14]

1. When hard things show up, is the first response usually shock, frustration, prayer, or worship? What would it look like this week to bless the name of the Lord in the middle of the pressure instead of waiting for the pressure to pass? [16:55]
2. Is there a “Sam” or “Sally” in view right now—someone whose life seems easier, richer, prettier, or more carefree? What kind of comparison has started to grow in the heart because of that? [20:23]
3. Social media often shows a highlight reel and not the whole game. What accounts, habits, or online patterns tend to pull the heart away from gratitude and toward envy or discontent? What boundaries might be needed? [19:19]
4. God’s mercy once gave space to repent during personal mess. Is there anyone who has been viewed more with irritation than with mercy? How can prayer shift from “God, deal with them” to “God, save them”? [24:19]
5. Asaph almost slipped because he kept looking at the prosperity of the wicked. Where has footing become shaky lately—attitude, spending, entertainment, relationships, old habits, or private thought life? [31:02]
6. Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. What has been used lately as a measure of blessing: peace and joy in God, or stuff, status, upgrades, and appearance? [35:52]
7. If a heart in Christ is already blessed, what are some very specific things that can be thanked God for right now—today’s house, today’s car, today’s provision, today’s peace? How might gratitude guard the soul from competition? [51:25]