Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Thursday April 30 2026
More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com. To Receive
Free Bible Studies And Updates Via Email, Contact Mark Tabata @ 606-216-1757 (SMS Only) or markatabata@gmail.com (Email). Follow me on Substack: substack.com/@marktabata. Also please visit my author page: amazon.com/author/marktabata
Romans 8:28-And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
One of the great mysteries of life that the Bible addresses so powerfully is that there can be reasons for God (in His goodness and wisdom) allowing evil and suffering to exist, even if we do not yet fully realize or appreciate them. There is a Hebrew legend that a friend recently shared with me that expounds on this.
A legend says that Moses once sat near a well in meditation. A wayfarer stopped to drink from the well and when he did so his purse fell from his girdle into the sand. The man departed. Shortly afterwards another man passed near the well, saw the purse and picked it up. Later a third man stopped to assuage his thirst and went to sleep in the shadow of the well. Meanwhile, the first man had discovered that his purse was missing and, assuming that he must have lost it at the well, returned, awoke the sleeper (who of course knew nothing) and demanded his money back. An argument followed, and irate, the first man slew the latter. Whereupon Moses said to God, “You see, therefore men do not believe in You. There is too much evil and injustice in the world. Why should the first man have lost his purse and then become a murderer? Why should the second have gotten a purse full of gold without having worked for it? The third was completely innocent. Why was he slain?” God answered, “For once and only once, I will give you an explanation. I cannot do it at every step. The first man was a thief’s son. The purse contained money stolen by his father from the father of the second, who, finding the purse, only found what was due him. The third was a murderer whose crime had never been revealed and who received from the first the punishment he deserved. In the future, believe that there is sense and righteousness in what transpires even when you do not understand.” Faith in God is the sole answer to the mystery of evil. (Richard Wurmbrand, 100 Prison Meditations: Cries of Truth from Behind the Iron Curtain, 18-19 (Kindle Edition): Bartlesville, OK: VOM Books)
None of this means that we shouldn’t have questions or ask them of God. He always invites us to bring our troubles and doubts to Him (Psalm 73; Isaiah 1:18; 43:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). But it does mean that we can learn to trust in God’s goodness and knowledge even when we do not have all of the answers.
Ezekiel learned that God had good reasons for punishing Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:23)
David learned that there were good reasons for his suffering (Psalm 119:67, 71, 75)
Habakkuk learned that there were good reasons for God raising up the Babylonians (Habakkuk 1:5-6)
Job learned that there were good reasons God had for allowing his sufferings (Job 23:10)
Paul could see that there were good reasons for God allowing his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
On and on we could go!
Trust in the Lord, even when you don’t understand “why.”
We praise You and thank You Lord, even in our difficult times. Be our Light. Amen.