From a letter to me:
I recently prayed that God would give us $2,000 for an antique piece of furniture. My son said if we got $500, it would be a miracle.
When the appraiser came out he said he would give us exactly $2,000 for the piece. Needless to say, I was shocked. Thank you, Lord! Later, I was telling this story to a non-believer friend who said, “Hey Bob, people are starving around the world, why should God help you get $2K?”
I told him it was because I have a close relationship with the LORD and that He does act on behalf of His children. I do pray for others, but now I feel kind of selfish because of what He said.
Why did God do this for me, while so much ugly stuff is happening in the world? Thanks for your thoughts!
You may be surprised to know that this issue comes up often. It is the tension that some of us have called the inequity of God . Since I know you, I will cut to the chase regarding your primary question, as well as some of your assumptions.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. – Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV)
It is true that God does answer the prayers of His children. I wholly affirm this, and I am encouraged when I hear stories like yours.
With that said, you may want to adjust your wording to your friend.
God blesses people because He chooses to bless people . It is not about our merit.
He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. – Matthew 5:45 (ESV)
Why the blessing?
God did not necessarily bless you because of your close relationship with Him . He may have, but we should be careful that we do not reduce our blessings down to a relational proximity formula. I think our old friend Job, and a few other people from the Bible, would take issue with that idea.
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. – Job 1:1 (ESV) The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them. – Job 1:16 (ESV)
• Paul was close to God, and he was beheaded.
• Joseph was close to God, and he was kidnapped.
• Moses was close to God, and he was exiled.
• Stephen was close to God, and he was stoned to death.
• Christ was close to God, and He was crushed by the LORD (Isaiah 53:10).
God blesses people because He chooses to bless people. It is not about any person’s ability to merit God’s good favor, but always about His un-manipulate-able mercy to undeserving people. By following the logic of your angst, you could also ask,
“Why did God regenerate you, while not regenerating someone else?”
That type of question may help you to understand your query with more theological precision, especially if you filter your answer through an Ephesians 2:8-9 filter:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The implication of the Gospel is that we are not worthy of any kind of blessing (Romans 3:10-12; Isaiah 64:6). We deserve hell, which was supposed to be our final destination, and it would have been if it were not for the intervening grace of God.
Honestly, I do not know why God regenerated you, and has not regenerated other people. You are no different from them. This unmerited kindness from the LORD should not motivate you to feel guilty, though it should humble you as ponder this most profound mercy.
To feel guilty for receiving any of God’s blessings would be sinful.
What is good?
It seems there might also be a misunderstanding of the word good. According to your premise it is good to receive $2,000 and it is bad if you do not receive $2,000. Paul’s understanding of good encompassed more possibilities than always getting what you asked for the way you asked for it (Philippians 4:11-13).
He saw all things working together for good (Romans 8:28).
Key Statement – The good that God is working in me and you is to make us more like Jesus.
If my circumstances are not conforming me to be more like Jesus, then I am missing the main purpose of what God is writing into my life (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).
The point of the Bible is to transform humans beings into Christlikeness , not to give us seven habits to make us more effective or to give us our desired best life now.
The point of the Bible is not about my personal success or happiness as defined by our culture or my heart.
If I gain personal property, acclaim, or significant monetary worth in this life, but I have not been conformed into the image of God’s Son, then I have missed my true purpose in life (Matthew 6:33).
God is good regardless of what happens to us.
Who is grateful?
Within your discussion with your friend there is an unspoken implication that God is unkind, unfair, or not good. God is good regardless of what happens to us.
Unfortunately, there is a mainstream world view that talks only about God’s goodness when there is some kind of material or physical benefit to us.
As Job (Job 42:5-6) and Joseph (Genesis 50:20) learned, there is good to be found in setbacks, sins, failures, illnesses, and disappointments. We can unwittingly communicate a skewed view of God by only trumpeting His goodness when things go the way we hoped they would (1 Peter 2:21).
I know you are humbly thanking God for how this situation has turned out on your behalf. I rejoice with you. It would be wise to expand your understanding and application of God’s goodness, especially when you do not get what you asked the LORD to provide.
The greatest blessing to ever come my way, apart from salvation, came through the crucible of heart-rending, soul-crushing disappointment. (Learn more about that here.)
A mature theology of blessings is when you can be grateful for how the LORD is maturing you through all that He is writing into your narrative.
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong – Job 1:20-22 (ESV)
The LORD can work unexpected good in your life through unexpected means.